Bonds of Fate
by WhiteWolf333
Summary: Companion piece to Bonds of Time. Rose Hathaway is a mystery Dimitri needs to solve, but with every clue and each new thing he learns, two more questions are revealed. He is determined to figure her out, but might end up falling for her instead. Only Time will tell. - Vampire Academy AU.- Rated M for graphic lemons, language and violence.
1. In The Air Tonight

**Companion piece to Bonds of Time. Something about Rose Hathaway intrigues Dimitri. He is determined to figure her out. Will he fall for her instead? Only Time will tell. Rated M for future lemons, language and violence. **

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_My heart broke in that moment. I don't know whether it was Lissa's sadness that I was feeling or my own, but when I looked into Dimitri's dark brown eyes I felt as though my world had been turned upside down. I had not allowed myself to think of his name until then. To name him would make it personal and I wasn't sure if I could take it. But it hadn't been a dream. I had lived through every second of it and I knew it. I had loved this man with all my heart and he had loved me right back._

_"You were very brave to protect her like that." Dimitri was gentle as he wiped the blood from my forehead and lips. "You will make a fine guardian someday."_

_-Bonds of Time_

**Bonds of Fate**

**Chapter One**

**In The Air Tonight**

Two thick files sat in the seat beside me while I waited in the parking lot of a Portland train station. They had been fairly interesting and informative, the dhampir girl's file had been so thick and full of disciplinary charges that it made for very entertaining reading. It was most likely she that had been the mastermind for this escapade. The search for princess Dragomir had been a long and drawn-out manhunt that had been going for almost two years, and I was determined to find her. We had received a call from an anonymous source that had given us their location the day before and there was no way that I'd let the opportunity pass by without checking it out.

"What was the apartment number, Dimitri?" Laurence's voice sounded into my earpiece.

"Fifteen B." I responded quickly as I stepped out of the SUV and surveyed the surrounding area.

I had purposely parked far enough away to avoid being seen by anyone who might find our group suspicious. But as I peered around the corner, staying hidden behind a large brick building, I saw that those efforts had been for nothing. The other girl was pushing the Princess into the drivers seat of a small green car, both still in their sleepwear. We had just arrived in town not even an hour earlier, there was no way that they could have known or have been warned that we were here. From a block away I couldn't hear what she had said, and I feared that our window of opportunity was closing on us. I could not let them escape again.

The Honda peeled out of it's parking space at an alarming speed headed towards the north. The girls apparently had some kind of getaway plan in place for situations like this.

"Green two door Honda headed north on Brown." I hissed into the earpiece. "Princess Dragomir is driving. I'm going after the other girl."

"We have visual on the Honda. She won't get far."

"Laurence," I turned around to speak to the guardian that was waiting on the other side of the vehicle, "bring the vehicle around while I speak to Miss Hathaway."

The girl stood on the sidewalk, pulling her hair up and twisting it on top of her hair. Her expression was calm and steady and she was ignoring me completely, as though my presence didn't even matter. Slowly, I walked closer, hoping that I could speak to her and talk her out of this foolish game that she and the Princess were playing. The cold autumn wind gusted in through the buildings and she shivered as her eyes met mine. It was like a switch had been flipped, she flinched the moment she looked at me as though she had been slapped. Without saying a word, she took off like a bolt of lightning down the alley behind her headed south. She was going in the opposite direction that the Princess had.

The wind whipped around me as I gave chase. The girl was fast, I'd give her that, but I had my height as an advantage. She dodged boxes and trash cans with ease and I could see that she would do very well in the obstacle training that we would start at the Academy in a weeks time. The alley ended and she veered off into a small park. It was now or never. I had to talk her down or she'd be running around for hours.

"Miss Hathaway." My voice must have caught her off guard because she turned around at the sound of it and crashed straight into a large low hanging tree branch.

The impact should have knocked her out, but all she did was gasp as she stood up and took off running again. There were droplets of blood on the sidewalk and I worried that she had seriously hurt herself. My worry was almost eclipsed by the shock that she still kept going. Most would have given up after taking such a hit.

"Miss Hathaway, we need you and Princess Dragomir to return to St. Vladimir's at once." I tried to keep my tone non-threatening as I hoped for her to cooperate.

The opposite happened, as she ran even faster than before, pulling further away.

_"We have the Princess." _Laurence's voice crackled over the headset.

I stopped running immediately and headed to the edge of the park where Laurence sat waiting in the SUV.

"The other's are with the Princess at the train station. She is unharmed." He informed me as we took off towards the station. "Where is Hathaway?"

"She still running." I responded shortly. "If that was their rendezvous point then I am sure she will show up there."

It was a very short drive to the train station. And when I walked inside, I could see the guardians surrounding the princess as she sat on one of the benches with her head lowered as she cried. I knelt down in front of her and bowed my head in respect.

"Princess Dragomir, there is no need to be frightened." I said quietly as she looked up at me. "We are not here to hurt you. We are going to return you to the Academy at once."

"Leave her the fuck alone," the dhampir girl's furious voice caught everyone's attention and we all turned to look at her, "You want to bully someone, well come and fucking get it."

"Rose!" The princess screamed as she took in her friend's appearance.

Her frightened scream only spurred the girl on. Her dark hair had fallen from it's tie and flowed over her bare shoulders. Her forehead had been cut to the bone by the tree branch and blood trickled from the wound and down the side of her face and neck. Her arms and legs were badly bruised and her clothes were dirt stained, but what caught me off guard was her eyes. While her stance screamed rage and hatred her eyes were filled with fear and determination. She had the eyes of a battle scarred warrior, a look that I had never seen on someone so young. She was a force to be reckoned with and the guardians that accompanied me were less than prepared to deal with such a threat.

She ripped a pole away from the ropes and the stand that held it and brandished it like a sword as a few guardians moved forward to subdue her. She was lithe and quick as she dodged, ducked, and fearlessly attacked them. Three guardians lied groaning on the floor as four more walked up to the fray. Yes, the wild girl had impressed me. And I was confident that anyone attempting to really harm the last Dragomir would have hell of a time getting to her if this girl was her guardian.

The Princess had a hand covering her mouth and tears streaming out of her eyes as she watched her companion fight. "ROSE!"

I stalked toward her, as she swayed on her feet and dropped the pole to the ground. The other guardians formed a circle around her, cutting off all exits, but still she stood fist at her sides ready to take on all of us if she had to. And then she dropped to the ground, my first instinct was to think that she was pulling a feint, but still I caught her head before it could hit the concrete floor. She pulled herself up to sit and doubled over as she coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Fucking trees, right, comrade?" Her voice was harsh and muffled.

Her eyes were narrowed as she stared around the circle and I wondered if she was still planning on fighting even in her current state.

The Princess pushed her way through the circle and slammed into Rose as she pulled her into a hug. "Oh my god, are you okay?"

The taller girl grabbed her friend's head like she was searching her face. "You're coughing up blood!"

"I'm okay, Liss, I just bit the inside of my mouth." Rose pushed her hands away and I wondered if the Princess had hurt her somehow. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

After both teens agreed that they would return to the Academy without any more fighting, I pulled Rose to her feet, trying to support her as walked on unsteady legs. Her skin was soft and smooth under my fingers. She was like a siren, luring her enemies into her trap with them believing that she was young and inexperienced, when she was really cunning and deadly. No, I couldn't wait to see how training with her would be.

* * *

She sat beside me on the plane. The other guardians were very skilled, but this girl was unpredictable and I didn't think any of them would be able to handle her if she had another outburst. But that was not my only reason to sit beside her. She intrigued me more than anyone I had ever met before. It unnerved me with the intensity of it. Her eyes were guarded as she kept her gaze focused on the back of the seat where the Princess sat. She had wrapped an arm around her rib cage and her forehead was still bleeding.

"How badly are you injured?" I broke the silence, but she did not look at me. "I know you lied to the Princess."

The hand at her side balled up into a fist. "Punctured lung, cracked ribs, concussion," her tone was calm and carefree as though we were discussing the weather, "well, possible concussion. I've got a pretty hard head."

"I can see that." I held back a laugh at her attitude. "Can I help stop the bleeding?"

"Have at it." She shrugged.

She turned to look at me and her eyes widened as the towel touched her forehead. My eyes met hers and I felt as though she was looking into my very soul, like she somehow knew exactly who I was. She stared at me with a look of dawning realization and I wondered what she was thinking about. To my knowledge I had never met her before in my life. I would have remembered someone as beautiful as her. But part of me felt like she was here with me now for a reason. I just had to find out what that reason was.

"You were very brave to protect her like that." I wiped the blood from her lips and looked upon their natural pink shade as my fingers itched to know if they felt as soft as they looked. "You will make a fine guardian someday."

"If I survive that long." She said in an undertone that had me pulling my hand away.

Her last comment caught me off guard. Rose turned back to stare out the window as I mentally shook myself out of the haze of improper thoughts. I would have to be very careful with my thoughts and actions around her. If her records and widely spread reputation were to be believed, she had been very popular among the young male population at the Academy. But as I looked at her, none that of that seemed true. Only time would tell. And I had plenty of patience to wait and see just who Rose Hathaway really was.

**End Chapter One**

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**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know if I should continue.**

**Okay, this one is short and sticks to BoT, next one will have more behinds the scenes stuff.**

**Special thanks to Caden29 for her awesome editing skills.**


	2. Every Rose Has Its Thorn

**Companion piece to Bonds of Time. Something about Rose Hathaway intrigues Dimitri. He is determined to figure her out. Will he fall for her instead? Only Time will tell. Rated M for future lemons, language and violence.**

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_I fought against the bond and returned to my own mind. My heart hurt at the thought of being sent away from Lisa. It almost hurt worse to think of being away from Dimitri. Dream or not, I remembered everything with perfect clarity. It didn't help my state of mind that now things were playing out in the exact same way. It was disturbing to think that the horrors that I had faced would have to be revisited, but in the same sense, if the dream was real, I had the opportunity to change everything. I could save a lot of lives. I could prevent terrible things from happening, or at least I thought I could. I was still trying to wrap my mind around the craziness of my current situation. _

_-Bonds of Time_

**Bonds of Fate**

**Chapter Two**

**Every Rose Has Its Thorn**

The short drive from the landing strip to the academy was spent in tense silence. Hathaway kept nodding out and I feared the her head injury was worse than she had let on. She needed to get to the clinic as soon as possible. Her head was leaning on my shoulder as she mumbled incoherently. Something about rabbits and marshmallows. Laurence chuckled from the front seat and I narrowed my eyes at him, making him focus on driving through the gates instead of mocking an injured girl. I grimaced as I looked at the crowd of students that were gathered in the courtyard waiting for their next class. Getting the two runaways back to the Academy had been difficult enough, there was no telling what would happen now that they were back. I half expected Hathaway and the Princess to take off again the second they had the chance.

I unbuckled Hathaway's seat belt and pulled her out of the SUV when it was parked. The wheezing sound coming from her lungs was a very bad sign and I hoped that Dr. Olendzki would be able to help her. She groaned as I set her feet on the ground and held tightly to her arm as we walked across the quad. Laurence walked with the Princess as she was escorted towards Headmistress Kirova's office. Hathaway gave the Princess one last mournful look before she focused on where we were headed. The students stared at her shamelessly and Hathaway held her head high and proud as we walked. Yes, there was no questioning that she was quite the sight. The young men -both novice and Moroi- were taking in her appearance with awe and lust. Hathaway flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled widely, as though she was enjoying their attention. I tugged at her arm to get her to walk faster, but she ended up collapsing on her hands and knees on the sidewalk, vomiting up blood and fluid onto a small girls shoes.

"Mia?" She rasped out. "Is that you? You haven't grown a bit."

"Hathaway," I pulled her to her feet and she swayed unsteadily, "we need to get you to the clinic."

"I'm okay," she tried to sound convincing, but it didn't work. "I don't need the clinic."

Her eyes took on a faraway look as she stood stock still. Without hesitation, I picked her up and carried her the short way to the clinic. Her eyes stared lifelessly at the night sky and I worried that I was too late. The clinic was empty when I kicked the door open and rushed to place her on a vacant bed.

"Dr. Olendzki!" I shouted as I shook the girls shoulder to try and get her to respond. "I need some help in here."

Minutes passed without a response from Rose and there was still no sign of the doctor. I feared leaving her side in case she might start vomiting again, but I also couldn't wait much longer to get help. I shook her shoulders once again and her eyes rolled as she looked up at me with a grimace and held up a hand to shield her eyes from the harsh light.

"Whoa, Comrade," she fought against me, "I might just puke again if you keep that up."

"You had gone catatonic. I couldn't get you to respond." I told her as I watched her eyes scrunch up in confusion.

"I was just with Lissa," She said and then winced.

She had said it so calmly that I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at her. Was she hallucinating? Had the trauma from hitting her head caused brain damage? The Princess was on the other side of the campus and I hadn't let Hathaway out of my sight. She slapped a hand to her forehead in frustration and then let out a small squeak of pain when she hit the open wound. Yes, there was really something odd about her.

"We have a bond." She said finally as she wiped the blood off her hand onto her shirt.

"Explain." I narrowed my eyes at her in disbelief.

"I can sense her emotions to an extent." She looked at me straight in the eyes as her words came out in a quick harsh whisper. "You get my drift. She feels it, so do I. It helps me keep her safe, so that's all that matters."

It was unbelievable, but made sense at the same time. It explained how she had known that we were there to capture them. The bond must have alerted her to a threat. The way she and the Princess had looked at each other and the way Rose treated her as both the Moroi she had to protect at all cost and a sister that she loved. Bonds of that sort hadn't been heard of in many years. They were a rare and precious gift for a guardian or novice to have.

Hathaway begin to cough and choke again and I yelled again for help. Dr. Olendzki and her nurse rounded the corner, took one look at Rose, and then the nurse ran back out of the room.

"What's happened to her?" The older Moroi woman asked in an accusing tone as she rubbed Rose's back.

"She ran head first into a tree limb." I responded defensively, insulted that she would think that I would have hurt the girl. "She's been nodding in and out of consciousness and vomiting blood."

"She should have been taken to a hospital immediately." The doctor held the stethoscope to Hathaway's back. "Her lungs are full of fluid. You're not needed here Guardian Belikov."

"Will she be okay?" I asked as I made no effort to leave.

"She's going to be in a lot of pain for the next couple of days." The doctor shook her head as she pulled a pair of shears out of the drawer. "I'm going to have to cut the clothes off. Rose, I'm sorry, but this might hurt a bit."

Rose was too far gone to have heard her and despite my own worry, I knew there was nothing I could do to help. I turned around and left the room as the nurse pulled up with a fairly large syringe and a bag on the tray she carried. She gasped as she opened the curtain and I spun around to see what about. The doctor had cut Rose's tank top off, leaving her in only her bra and shorts. Her upper torso was completely blue with large patches of purple bruising covering her rib cage.

The nurse shut the curtain as I stood there in momentary shock. The files I had read on Rose Hathaway all described a headstrong party girl who liked to pick fights. There wasn't a single mention of a girl that could be injured so badly and yet not complain about it. And I had fully expected the teenager to cry and scream about them. Most would have. But Rose looked as though she didn't even feel the pain. Yes, she was becoming more and more of a puzzle that I needed to solve. Her explanation on the bond she shared with the Princess would have to be expanded upon. After all, if I was to be the Princess's guardian, then I needed to know how this affected her.

As I walked back to the guardian offices, I wondered what would happen to the Princess and Hathaway. The Princess would surely be let off the hook given her Royal status, but Hathaway was a totally different story. She would most likely be sent to live with her mother and for the life of me I didn't understand why that thought bothered me.

"Belikov," Guardian Petrov greeted me as I walked into the main hallway. "Congratulations on a very successful mission."

I nodded my head in response and followed her to her office where she shut the door behind me. "Tell me. Did Hathaway really get the better of three of my men?"

Her tone was both curious and irritated and I knew that I would have to choose my words carefully.

"They attacked her first, in a attempt to subdue her." I said mechanically. "They were no match for her. Her files didn't warn any of us that she was so skilled."

"During her time here, Hathaway was at the top of her class, but she was far from skilled enough to take down a fully trained guardian, let alone three." She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the papers on her desk. "Where could she have learned to fight?"

"There are many places in the human world that teach fighting skills, but I saw no evidence that her techniques were learned there." I answered honestly as I mentally recalled the fight at the train station. "She must have been holding back while she was here."

"No," Alberta chuckled humorlessly, "Hathaway is a show off. If she had that kind of skill she would have wanted the entire student body to know."

"With a little bit of work on her control, she will make an unstoppable guardian." I told her.

"Kirova will decide if Hathaway is to remain here." Alberta waved the thought away. "I'm not going to bother volunteering myself to take on the girl's training. And we are short staffed as it is. Even if she's as skilled as you say, she is still woefully behind in her class work."

Hours later, after completing a mountain of paperwork, I went to the clinic to check on Hathaway. She is asleep and from the IV drip hanging next to her, I know it wasn't of her own free will. My fingers move of their own accord and feel the soft dark hair that had fallen over the edge of her pillow. It felt like silk beneath my fingers. I'm pulled from the moment by the nurse walking in with another syringe in hand. She stopped suddenly at the sight of me and I'm relieved that she didn't catch my moment of impropriety.

"Checking in on, Rose, Guardian Belkov?" She asked me with a smile.

"Yes," I responded quickly. "How is she?"

"She's doing much better." The nurse informs me. "I don't doubt that she'll be up to her usual shenanigans in a few days."

"Guardian Petrov will be happy to know that." I said evasively. "I'll just be going."

"Come by any time." The nurse winked at me.

After that awkward moment, I headed to the Headmistresses office, but I was not alone on waiting to speak with her. Vasilisa Dragomir sat on one of the leather chairs in the hallway as she sat with her head in her hands.

"Guardian Belikov." The Princess looked up at me with tired eyes.

"Princess Dragomir." I bowed my head in respect.

"You have to help me." She grabbed my hand and pleaded with me. "Kirova is thinking about kicking Rose out. She can't do that."

"Quit being overdramatic," Kirova barked when she opened her door to let the two of us in. "Hathaway will deserve what she gets."

The Princess and I both sat down on the other side of Kirova's desk as she took her seat.

"Miss Hathaway may have tagged along with Miss Dragomir, but I have reason to believe that she didn't do so out of malice or rebellion." I said promptly. "I sincerely think that she did what she thought would be best for the Princess. I also have reason to believe that the two girls share a bond."

"It's true," the girl look ashamed, whether of the bond or something else. "Rose can feel everything that I do."

"Impossible." Kirova exclaimed, looking at Lisa with disbelief etched on her face.

"I have seen it for myself." I wasn't lying completely. "Also, Miss Hathaway was able to take out three fully trained guardians while badly injured and she would have attempted to fight the rest of us had Miss Dragomir not stopped her."

"That only shows that she is uncontrollable." Kirova looked like that was exactly the ammunition she needed. "The girl has a history of being violent and rebellious. And that's beside the point." Kirova waved her head dismissively. "She is too far behind in her training. We don't have the staff to dedicate to get her back up to speed with her peers."

"Headmistress," I said in a placating tone. "Hathaway is one of the few female novices enrolled at this Academy. With a little effort on her part, she can become just as successful as her mother."

The princess tilted her head and stared at Kirova with pleading eyes. "Let her stay."

"Fine," Kirova shook her head and sighed and then grinned with a look I did not like, "Hathaway can stay if she accepts the terms of her punishment. She will also need to ask one of the instructors to mentor her if she wants to catch up with her peers."

"Thank you, Headmistress." The Princess smiled at her. "I can't wait to tell, Rose."

"You will not be allowed to associate with her outside of meals and classes." Kirova barked, making the Princess jump in surprise. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, Headmistress." She said carefully. "I understand."

"Good," Kirova smirked, "You both can show yourselves out."

I nodded my head as I followed the princess from the room. Her hands were at her sides and she kept trying to take deep breaths to calm herself down. I feared that she would pass out if she kept it up for much longer.

"That bitch!" She finally exclaimed, and I had to contain my laughter, because it mirrored my own feelings. "Rose doesn't deserve this. You have to believe me, it really was all my idea to leave. There's no reason for Rose to be punished for being a good friend. We stayed safe the entire time we were gone. She protected me from the psi-hounds and she…"

Her words died on her lips and her cheeks reddened. It made me curious about what she was going to say, but it was not my place to ask.

"Where did Rose learn to fight like that?" I asked as we walked out into the empty courtyard.

"Honestly," the Princess looked up at me with wide eyes, "I didn't know she could fight that well. It kind of scared me to see her that way."

"She didn't attend any karate classes or gymnastics?"

"Only if sitting on the couch eating cheetos is considered a work out." She said with a laugh and then sobered up immediately. "I shouldn't laugh. She's hurt and it's all my fault."

"The doctor assured me that she will be fine in a day or two." I tried to comfort her.

"Thanks for helping with Kirova." She said as we reached the door to the Moroi dorms. "I'm sure Rose will appreciate it too."

"Good day, Princess." I nodded as I shut the door behind her.

* * *

The following days were spent planning the next stage of novice training. Alberta had asked me to take a novice to mentor, something that the instructors did for the ones with real potential. She had been very surprised when I requested Hathaway, but had agreed to it under the condition that Hathaway not get into any more trouble. That was the part that worried me. I knew very little about the girl and hoped that I hadn't made a huge mistake. She had the potential, but she was also unpredictable. The Princess's words still floated in my head. Hathaway hadn't trained at all during their time away from the Academy. No one had expected her to fight as well as she did. There was something that I was missing. A person didn't just wake up one day knowing how to fight like that.

The novices that I normally worked with all spoke highly of Rose. Eddie Castille and Mason Ashford both couldn't say enough good things about her when I questioned them about her previous training. They appeared to have been close to the girl and Ashford spoke of her in a way that suggested that his feelings were past the line of friendship. Guardian Alto despised the girl, saying that she was a menace and that Kirova should have put her on the street. It took all of my self-control not to retaliate. No one deserved to be put out on their own like that. And I had no doubt that had Kirova kicked Hathaway out, the Princess would have followed immediately.

The day that Hathaway was released from the clinic was one of the oddest days I had ever had. To start out, no matter how hard I tried to clear my head and just enjoy the book I was reading, my mind would not stop from wandering. The coffee I had poured myself in the cafeteria ended up being decaf. The first chair I sat on in the conference room splintered and broke. The second creaked ominously under my weight and I had to hold myself completely still when I heard the light footsteps coming down the hallway. There was no way that she would take me seriously if I ended up falling to the floor courtesy of another broken chair. She rounded the corner and I tried to appear at ease even though I was mildly shocked. She looked far better than she did the night I brought her back. The gash on her forehead was mostly healed, a few butterfly bandages were all that covered it. She looked magnificent. Her eyes roamed my face as she smiled at me.

My heart beat faster at her smile. "Your schedule, Miss Hathaway."

"Rose." She said softly, making me groan inwardly. "My name is Rose."

"You're going to miss breakfast, _Rose_." I said in an effort to get her out of the office when the chair creaked again. "I'll meet you in the gym in thirty minutes."

Her smile widened and she gave me a cocky look as she saluted me. "Aye, Aye, Comrade."

The book was just a small paperback and I feared that it was not enough to hide my smirk. No, she was not going to be easy to work with. As soon as I heard the main door shut, I jumped to my feet just as the chair crumbled to the floor.

**End Chapter Two**

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**Thoughts? Comments? Should I keep going? Let me know.**

**I'm working on chapter 21 of Bonds of Time right now and hope to have it up soon.**

**Special thanks to Caden29 for her help and support. ::: Sends Rum and cookies:::**


	3. In the Blood

**Companion piece to Bonds of Time. Something about Rose Hathaway intrigues Dimitri. He is determined to figure her out. Will he fall for her instead? Only Time will tell. Rated M for future lemons, language and violence.**

* * *

_A large hand came down to rest on my shoulder and without thought I turned and struck out with my fist. I felt something stringy brush across my knuckles._

"_ROSE!" Dimitri's yell cut threw the dark haze and I stumbled back gasping for breath._

_He stood in front of me with a bewildered expression. Everyone in the gym was staring at me. I knew this because it was completely silent in the large building. I looked up at Dimitri and I know he could sense how out of sorts I felt._

"_Take five, Hathaway." He pointed me toward the bench that had a water fountain next to it. "And bandage your hands."_

_-Bonds of Time_

**Bonds Of Fate **

**Chapter Three**

**In The Blood**

The novices surrounding me all whooped and called as she walked through the door. She held her head high and smirked, clearly enjoying their attention, as she walked toward Ashford with a wistful smile on her face. _Was there some kind of history between them? _She smirked at the red haired boy as he moved into a fighting stance. No, I couldn't let _that _happen.

"Miss Hathaway will be with me today." I interrupted them with a stern tone, making both look up at me in surprise. "Continue, Ashford."

Hathaway smiled at the boy as she patted his back and walked to where I stood on the sparring mat. Her brown eyes roamed my body unabashedly. I wondered if she was checking me out or sizing me up as an opponent. More than likely it was the latter. I had waited for that moment. Measuring her skill would be very useful in her future training and I needed her to bring everything to the table, so to say, to get a base of where I needed to start. The other novices watched as I handed her the gloves and I glared at them over her shoulder as she gently plucked the leather mitts from my hands.

"You've proved that you can fight under stressful situations." I told her as soon as everyone had went back to their own training. "Now I need you to show me your restraint. I want you to hit the gloves without moving my hands. It takes far more effort to control the force of a punch than it does to give it your all."

There was an amused glint in her eyes as she set her leg back and pulled her fist up to chest level. I didn't know what to expect from her. The other novices had yet to start this type of training and even if she had trained outside of the school, it took time to learn the type of control needed to learn the exercise. Her first punch was fast and I didn't feel the slightest impact. I could tell that the gloves were throwing her off and watched as she pulled them off of her slender hands and tossed them to the side. It would hurt badly if she miscalculated and hit my gloves with her bare hands, but I let it go without reprimand as I nodded for her to continue.

She repeated the punches quickly. Twenty times she punched with speed and accuracy and twenty times she stopped her fist just as it came close to the glove. It took all of my will power not to praise her or interrogate her about where she had learned that. My old instructors used to start teaching restraint and self-control in the elementary novice levels. But there was no way that Hathaway could have gone to all the way to Russia without the Princess knowing. And there had never been any evidence that they had left the country. My main theory was that Hathaway had trained herself. But even that didn't make sense.

"Now I want you to hit with everything you've got." I said and watched her eyes light up in anticipation and need making me wonder what had stirred that reaction. "Impress me."

She closed her eyes and centered herself, taking a deep breath before she opened them again. Her eyes bored into mine, like she was seeing straight through to my soul.

"How many times?" Her voice came out as quiet as a breeze and I couldn't help but blink and take a step back.

There was something very strange about the way she had asked her question. "As many as it takes."

Before I could stop her or warn her to put the gloves back on, she took a swing. The force of her punch moved my entire arm back and I braced myself for the next hit. Surely she would stop before she injured herself. I hoped. It was like the light that had been in her eyes had gone out and all that was left was a fierce determination to keep hitting. By her fifth hit, blood sprayed onto her shirt and I yelled at her to stop, making everyone in the gym turn to stare at us.

"Focus on your own work!" I barked at them, then had to duck when she took a swing at my face. I put the glove up and winced as her fist made contact, showering her in tiny red droplets. "Stop, Hathaway."

There was no sign that she had even heard me. Her hits turned faster and she punched at the gloves as though she was in a boxing ring. Minutes passed and it didn't look like she was going to stop. I heard the sound of bone breaking and pulled the glove away, thinking that she'd just miss and hit air, but she landed the punch anyway. I tried it again and again, but each time she found her mark. Something was wrong with her. It was like she was possessed.

"What's going on here?" Guardian Alto asked in an irritated tone. "Hathaway is supposed to be in class."

"She'll be there as soon as I can get her to respond." I hissed through my teeth as I heard her thumb break.

"What the hell?" Alto's eyes narrowed as he watched her take another hit without care. "Hathaway!" He moved forward and went to put a hand on her shoulder, she swung around and almost clocked him in the face. He turned red in irritation as he went to swipe at her legs to knock her down. She dodged him and swung again, this time hitting him in the ribs. "Fuck! I'm getting Alberta, this girl is a menace."

I would have warned him about trying to stop her, but it was worth it to see her get that one hit in. He deserved it for what he had said about her being too inexperienced to stay at the Academy. Although I questioned myself about whether or not staying at the Academy was best for her mental heath. She had the standard symptoms of PTSD; something that was not common, but also not unheard of in veteran guardians. My mind tried to come up with explanations to explain her behavior, each theory less likely than the next. It truly made no sense. Unless there was something that the girls weren't telling us about their time away.

"Guardian Belikov," Alberta walked up with a sour look on her face as she watched Rose. "Alto said that Miss Hathaway was attacking you."

"I think she's having a flashback." I braced myself for another hit. "I'm trying to let her snap out of it on her own, but her hands are a mess."

Alberta gasped as she took at the state of the girls hands, but she made no effort to get any closer to her. "I'll get the nurse. She needs to be sedated before she hurts herself even worse."

That was something that I didn't want to happen. She had to snap out of this on her own. If they had to sedate her, there was a chance that she would be taken away. I couldn't let that happen, I had too many questions. She took a hit and I grabbed her shoulder and squeezed. She took another swing, and would have hit me in the jaw if I hadn't moved at the last second.

"ROSE!" I yelled as loudly as I could, startling her and a few novices that had been staying to clean up.

"Take five, Hathaway." My relief overwhelmed me when I saw her return to herself. "And bandage your hands."

She breathed heavily as she stared down at her hands in confusion and my worry was confirmed. It was definitely PTSD. I ran a hand through my hair as I wondered how I would help her get past that. Alberta and the nurse stopped when they saw her sitting on the bench and I waved them away. The nurse gave me a questioning glance, as though she didn't want to leave, but Alberta pulled her away. Hathaway grabbed the cup of water out of my hand and drained it as I sat down beside her on the wooden bench.

"Thanks," She said as she fumbled around in the medical kit, trying to grasp the tape with her mangled fingers.

"What happened back there?" I asked as I pulled the tape away from her.

"To be honest, I have no idea." Rose shook her head and wiped her brow on her sleeve. "You told me to put some ass into the hits, so I did? What did I do wrong?"

"You zoned out, Rose." I leaned in toward her. "When I saw that you were injuring yourself I tried to get you to stop, but you kept going as though you didn't hear me. When I moved out of your way, you moved until you found me. But you didn't respond to me at all. I thought for sure that you'd stop when you broke your thumb, but you only started hitting harder."

"I don't even remember feeling it." She turned away and I could see her surprise and confusion mirroring my own.

My hand reached out and touched the smooth skin of her jaw as I forced her to look at me. "How long do you think we were sparring?"

"Three or four minutes, maybe." She guessed.

"We've been here for two and a half hours." Her answer worried me more than I could say. "Guardian Alto came here when you didn't show up for class and he couldn't get you to respond. Guardian Petrov had no better luck."

"But you told me to keep taking hits until I was done!" She stated heatedly.

"You have lost half the flesh on your hands." I grabbed hold of her shoulders, trying to make her realize how serious this was. "You have broken and dislocated bones. Your blood is covering the mat and the gloves. At what point were you going to stop on your own. Because I thought I was going to have to get a nurse to sedate you! Do you not see why I did not want you sparring with Mr. Ashford? You are a powerful and skilled fighter, but none of that matters when you do not know when to stop!"

She stood up to leave and I could see her building a wall to block me out. "I have to get to class."

"No," I ordered her, "You are going to go sit back down and listen to what I have to say."

Her knees shook and I could see just how much energy it took for her to just stand there. But still it looked as though she was contemplating whether or not to sit. After a few more seconds of hesitation, she finally sat down beside me. Without warning, I grabbed her hand and placed it on my thigh as I disinfected the torn flesh. After clearing away the blood, I bandaged it to the best of my ability. The superficial wounds would be healed by morning, the bones would take a day or two longer if she was careful. As she sat quietly beside me, my own thoughts warred with my emotions. To be able to help her, I'd have to earn her trust, to earn her trust would not be an easy task. But I wasn't even sure if I could give her the help that she needed. Without knowing what trauma she had been through, I had no way to know what route to take. It had been so long since I opened myself up to another person that I wasn't sure if I could do it.

"I was a lot like you when I was your age." I started out by letting her know that she and I had something in common. "My life had not been easy and I brought all of that anger to the mat with me. But of course I was the largest novice in my school, so it was not easy to find a partner to spar with. Especially when my opponents usually ended up in the clinic. And then one day my mentor took me to the side and told me exactly what I am telling you now. You are nothing unless you are in control of yourself at all times."

"Rose," I looked up into her sad brown eyes and could see that she was actually listening to me, "I do not want to be called one day to find out that you have injured another person because you lost control. You are stronger than that. I can see it. We will be working together extensively over the next few months. And I am not going to lie to you. You will hate me on some of those days, but you will master your emotions."

"Thank you for giving me a chance." Her smile lit up her face. "You didn't have to stick your neck out like that for me. If I go off the rails again, Kirova is not going to be happy with you."

"Then you better start listening to your instructors." I said sternly as I grasped her index finger and pulled.

"Ow! Fuck, comrade!" She hissed out. "A little warning would have been nice."

"You will find out quickly that I am not nice." I said honestly as I grabbed her thumb and repeated the action of popping the joint back in place.

She grimaced but stayed silent as I popped three more joints back into their sockets. I should have sent her to the clinic, but the thought of letting her leave was not something I wanted to do. I had hoped that she would open up to me just a small amount, but she remained guarded and closed off. I watched her leave the gym with a frown on my face. But I would not give up.

* * *

"How is Hathaway?" Alberta asked as I sat down for dinner.

"I'm not quite sure." I told her honestly.

"Any idea as to why she had a flashback or what could have caused it?" She looked down at her plate.

"She has been back in classes for barely a day." I sighed as I pulled my own tray forward. "Maybe with time she will open up more."

"Stan tells me that she stopped by to pick up her past due homework and even apologized for missing class." She said in a tone that made me curious. "Hathaway has never had any respect whatsoever for authority. She didn't even argue when he set a ridiculous deadline. That's really not like her. Although I can't really see her finishing over a years worth of work in just six weeks. It seems as though something you said has gotten through to her. "

"I don't believe I had anything to do with it." I looked up to look for said girl and saw that the seat beside the Princess was unmistakably empty. "Did she show up for dinner?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Alberta shrugged and went back to her meal.

Later that morning, I laid in bed trying to think of ways to get through to the mysterious girl. It seemed as though the staff had as much love for Hathaway as she had for them before her and the Princess ran away. Clearly she didn't trust authority figures. But there was no way I could go about talking to her as though she were a friend. Turning her over to the school counselor would have been a great idea. But first Hathaway would have needed to agree to it. Suggesting such a thing after working with her for a day felt too much like admitting failure. No, I would just have to wait and see if I could help her without resorting to that.

**End Chapter Three**

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**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know. I always reply.**

**Thanks so much to all of the Bonds of Time readers who have followed, favorited and reviewed this story! I'll be picking up where I left off in BoT once I'm caught up with BoF. **

**Special love goes out to Caden29 for her awesomeness! We are working on a collaboration story, so be sure to keep an eye out for it.**


	4. For What Its Worth

**Companion piece to Bonds of Time. Something about Rose Hathaway intrigues Dimitri. He is determined to figure her out. Will he fall for her instead? Only Time will tell. Rated M for future lemons, language and violence.**

* * *

_Dimitri was walking a few paces behind us. I knew it was him just by the sound of his soft footsteps. He must have been told to follow Lissa. It comforted me to know that she would be safe as long as he was around while I was under house arrest._

_-Bonds of Time_

**Bonds of Fate**

**Chapter Four**

**For What It's Worth**

All of my thoughts centered around her. Even after just a few days, it was impossible to get her out of my mind. My every waking moment was spent waiting in anticipation, hoping to see her again. I wanted to help her. I needed to see what she could become. 'If I survive that long.' she had said that first night on the plane. Yes, I would make sure that she would. I tried to distract myself with paperwork, books and music, but everywhere I looked and everything I saw, reminded me of her. Sleep alluded me once again. Each time I closed my eyes I saw her rage filled eyes and heard the sounds of her bones breaking.

Desperately trying to rid myself of those thoughts, I got up and got ready for the day. I could hear the rain pounding on the roof above me and could see the flash of lightning through the thick curtains. I pulled them back and looked upon the grounds. The rain was coming down in heavy sheets, hindering even my keen eyes from seeing the mountain range in the distance.

A lone figure caught my eye. It had to be her. But why would she be running at two in the morning in the rain? Her pace was brutally fast, and even from the distance I could see the toll it was taking on her. Despite my better judgment, I left my room -grabbing my umbrella on the way out- and went outside. The air was colder than I expected it to be and the wind whipped my coat back as I made my way towards the gym. I stopped at the edge of the breezeway and opened the umbrella after I had put my paperback book into the inside pocket of my duster. I contemplated going back to my room, it felt unprofessional to meet her like this in the middle of the afternoon when no one else was around, but I placated myself with the thought that it was my duty as her mentor to make sure that she obeyed the rules. And the rules clearly stated that students weren't allowed outside the dorms after hours. With that in mind, I put the umbrella up and walked out into the rain.

Lightning lit up the dreary atmosphere and thunder boomed so loudly that the earth beneath my feet trembled. The sound had caught her off guard and I watched as she scrambled in an attempt to brace herself, but still ended up falling backwards into the mud. Her laughter echoed around me as she held her ribs and gave in to the hysteria. My brows furrowed as I watched her hold up her hands and inspect them. The skin on her knuckles were still an angry red and the joints were clearly swollen and not fully healed.

I coughed loudly to get her attention, ready to reprimand her and tell her that she needed to go back to her dorm. Her eyes met mine and the words died on my lips as I saw her eyes light up and a smile take over her face. I shook my head to try and break the spell.

"Hey, comrade!" She yelled in amusement. "Aren't you too tall to be carrying an umbrella? You're like a lightning rod out here."

I took the few steps to the gym door and unlocked it. "Get inside, Rose."

She obeyed without question and went to the lockers after I had turned the lights on. My eyes followed her movements as I waited for some kind of sign of an outburst, or explanation, but neither happened. She caught my eye and gave me a small smile. I looked away quickly as I pulled the book from my pocket to distract myself. Without a word she walked by me and laid down on the bleachers a few feet away. She closed her eyes as I tried to pretend that I was reading. Within moments the sound of her breathing evened out and I looked over to see that she had fallen asleep. It went against everything that I had learned about her up to that point. She had always been guarded and on high alert. But to fall asleep in my presence, to let herself be completely vulnerable belayed that. To some extent, she trusted me even though I hadn't done anything to earn that trust. It unnerved me and at the same time it gave me hope that I could help her.

Hours passed as I immersed myself into the story, but it was nowhere near as much of a mystery as the girl beside me. She shivered on the cold metal bench, but slept so soundly that I didn't want to wake her. Quietly as possible I retrieved some extra towels from the locker. I fold one and carefully set it under her head, while taking note of the dark rings that were under her eyes, half hidden by her thick dark lashes. She must have found sleep as elusive as I had over the past few days. She sighed and buried her head into my hand, making me pull my hand away as though I had been burned. No, it was not her fault. She was asleep and had no control over her actions. She mumbled something that I couldn't quite make out and I listened carefully to see if she'd repeat it.

"Don't leave...please." She grumbled tiredly. "No...not again."

_Who had left her? What secret was she hiding? _She had trusted me this much and it felt like an invasion of privacy to sit back and listen to her when she had no control over what she said.

I gently shook her shoulder as I tried to wake her. "If you are going to snore you can go back to your dorm."

"Come back to bed, comrade." She grumbled, making me lurch back in surprise. "It's too freaking early."

_What on earth was she dreaming about?_ She had said it with a familiarity that shocked me.

"Get up now, Rose." I said uncomfortably.

Her eyes opened slowly and I watched as she took stock of her surroundings. Her eyes went wide in shock as they met my own and I could see the disappointment and despair wash over her. There was something odd about the sequence of emotions that flitted over her face. It made me both curious and worried about her state of mind.

"Shit!" She sat up quickly without meeting my eyes. "How long have I been out?"

"About three hours." I couldn't help but smile at her to try and stave off her embarrassment. "You talk in your sleep, you know."

"I so do not!"She replied vehemently as she pulled the towel away and stood up.

She gathered up the towels in a daze and put them away. I watched as her eyes once again became guarded and I couldn't help feeling a little bit let down that I had caused that.

She stopped as soon as her hand was on the door handle. "All right, Tall Stranger, I'm headed back to the bunkhouse for some shut eye."

"I will see you in two hours for training." I warned her as I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at her horrible accent.

"I can't wait." She said it so quietly that I looked up, but found that I was too late to see the expression on her face.

_What had she meant by that? Was it sarcasm? Or something else entirely?_ With a heavy sigh, I put my book away and walked back to my room. It was times like this that made me miss Ivan even more. He had been not only my charge, but he had been a friend and like a brother to me throughout our school years and the time preceding his death. He listened and was always ready to give advice or his opinion in situations likes this. In many ways, it reminded me of the relationship Rose had with the Princess. But unlike me, Rose had never left her charge, even though she wasn't a true guardian yet, she treated it as her soul mission in life to protect the Princess. I had left Ivan for a personal mission to track down my old mentor, leaving him with a highly skilled guardian. But still, I had hit a dead end in the course of trying to find Galina, and when I returned, it was to find Ivan and his other guardian had been killed by Strigoi. It was my fault. I never should have left him. And I would never forgive myself for that. All I could do was find a way to redeem myself, even if it was to make sure that such a thing never happened to Rose.

Alberta was in her office when I knocked on the door, holding a stack of novice evaluation charts. "Come in!"

"Guardian Petrov." I nodded to her as I put the file on her desk. "The evaluations you requested."

"Keep an eye on Hathaway." She said quickly as she opened the file and nodded at me in dismissal.

* * *

Two hours later I had a plan that I was sure would help. I had mentally gone over everything I knew about the girl and re-read her file three times to make sure I hadn't missed anything. Bad temper, impulse control, unprovoked outbursts, rebellion, lack of respect for authority. Things that I hadn't really seen in her recent behavior, or at least not to the extent that her instructors had recorded. I stood outside the gym, watching as Hathaway walked beside Ashford and Castille, the three of them sharing an umbrella. They were joking around and Rose said something that made the other two bust out laughing loudly. Her eyes met mine and she smiled at me and made a goofy face as she said her goodbyes to the two boys and then jogged to where I was.

"Is time to sing kumbaya, boss?" She smirked up at me.

"No," I said shortly and walked inside.

She didn't gripe or complain as I told her that we would be working on meditation, just nodded her head as she listened intently to my instructions. But I could see the grimace on her face as she stretched and tried to copy my stance.

"Are you okay?" I stopped and asked her.

"Back's just a little sore from my stumble this morning." She winced. "I'll be okay in a few minutes."

"Sit on the mat, Hathaway." I ordered her. "We'll work on your breathing instead."

"I'm pretty sure I can do that with training." She said smartly.

I narrowed my eyes at her and pointed to the mat. She rolled her eyes and flopped down onto the mat. I sat across from her and tried to figure out why she had been reluctant to do this exercise.

"Close your eyes." I said as calmly as I could and waited for her to obey.

She sighed as she closed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Take in a deep breath, hold your right arm out, and hold the breath in."

She did as I told her too, but I could see the tremors that shook her hands.

"Are you nervous?" My question made her eyes snap open.

"No," she said through gritted teeth as she pulled her hand in and squeezed it with the other.

"Do it again." I said firmly. "And close your eyes. This time let the breath out before you raise your arm. Regulate your breathing. Clear your mind and relax."

The same thing happened again, only this time, I watched as her breathing evened out, but still her hand shook fiercely. Over and over she tried it, until she finally held her arm out so stiffly that her hand barely moved.

"You are not relaxed." I told her. "The whole point of the exercise is to be calm and controlled."

"Tell that to my twitchy hand." She stared at the offending appendage with disdain.

"When was the last time you ate?" I asked, remembering her absence at dinner the night before.

"Breakfast yesterday." She shrugged.

"We are done here for the day." I stood up and stared down at her. "Do not miss any more meals. You are only wasting both of our time if you can't show up prepared and in condition to train."

She lifted a brow in confusion as she stood up. I walked away before she could say anything else. I don't know why I had snapped at her, other than the fact that I needed to distance myself from her if I was going to truly help her. Without looking back, I walked out of the gym, and away from her and the turbulent thoughts that she left me with. The rain had slowed to a light mist, but the air was far colder and I could see the thick snow clouds forming overhead.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was spent immersing myself in books and paperwork. By the time I looked up at the clock, I realized that I had missed dinner and immediately felt bad for reprimanding Rose for doing the same. I shouldn't have been so short with her. I had probably broken what small amount of trust she had in me. With that thought in mind I made my way to the chapel, following behind a group of students who were laughing and playing around on the icy sidewalks. I heard her laughter from across the courtyard. Her and the Princess were slipping and sliding while trying to support each other. When they were both stable, I watched as Rose pulled the jacket off her shoulders and handed it to the other girl.

The chapel was warm and already bustling with activity when I walked in. After stopping to light a candle in memory of Ivan, I sat down on the back pew and waited for the service to begin. The Princess and the Ozera boy caught my eye as the two made their way to the front of the room. I turned to my left when I heard someone sit down a few feet away. Her gaze met mine and we both looked to the front quickly. She listened so intently to the sermon that it made me wonder if she was religious or not. Her files had said nothing about it and I made a mental note to add it to the list of things I didn't know about her.

Every few minutes her eyes would stray from the priest to the princess. She kept guarding her even here. When the priest finished his lecture, the youth in the room once again began to group together to socialize. Rose left her seat and walked over to where the Princess and Ozera were standing. They talked quietly together and I walked to the doors where I would wait for them to leave.

A few minutes later, I followed the trio back out onto the snowy grounds. Students and novices alike stood around talking, unhindered by the harsh climate as they laughed and played in the snow. With cat like reflexes Rose grabbed the Princess and flung her into my arms. I caught her gently and pulled her back, searching the area for a threat, but it did not come from in front of us. It came from above. Solid sheets of ice and slush rained down from the roof, falling directly onto Rose who was trying her best to shield the boy with her own body. The princess gasped as she moved forward to help, but I held her back until it was safe, even though my own instincts begged me to do the same.

Rose collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily, her clothes and hair were soaked through and covered in pieces of ice. I let go of the Princess and moved quickly to help.

"Rose! Christian!" The girl yelled frantically as she knelt down in the ice between them. "Oh my god! Are you guys okay?"

"I'm okay." He told her as I extended a hand to help him up. "I think Rose got the worst of it."

"Can you move?" I asked her as I watched her grimace as she tried to stand.

After helping her to her feet, I kept my arms ready as she looked like she was about to topple over again. Her eyes narrowed as she searched the crowd and I found myself copying her. Standing near the front, with a group of Moroi, Miss Renaldi stood with a suspicious smile on her face. It was well known that the girl was specialized in water magic and I made note to keep an eye on her when the Princess was around. If it hadn't been for Rose's quick thinking, the Princess would have been seriously injured in the small avalanche.

"I have to get back to the dorm or Kirova's going to kill me if she finds out I went to church." Rose took the jacket from the Princess wrapped it around her shoulders hugging it tightly to herself as she shook.

"We'll walk you back to make sure you're okay." The Princess stated, leaving no room for argument and Mr. Ozera nodded in agreement.

I waited for a moment to make sure that she would be okay. "Training starts at seven thirty, Hathaway."

My mind replayed the events over and over as I walked over to the side of the building where the shadows would hide me from view. Rose's actions had impressed me, more than that, I admired her effort to not only protect her self-assigned charge, but also the other Moroi that had been in danger. But what really spoke volumes to me, was that even after just a few days, she trusted me enough to put the Princess in my care. She had pushed the girl to me without a seconds thought and I was grateful that she had that much faith in me.

Much later, in the early hours of the morning, I fell asleep replaying the first time I had met Rose Hathaway.

**End Chapter Four**

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	5. Enjoy The Silence

**Companion piece to Bonds of Time. Rose Hathaway is a mystery Dimitri needs to solve, but with every clue and each new thing he learns, two more questions are revealed. He is determined to figure her out, but might end up falling for her instead. Only Time will tell. - Vampire Academy AU.- Rated M for graphic lemons, language and violence.**

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_Once again the clock was at two in the afternoon when I woke up, and I knew exactly where I was going. The nasty feeling was no better today, but I could handle it. Adrian deserved to have a few good days without the darkness bothering him. And somehow I was able to give him that much. Spirit wasn't going to drag me down. I wasn't going to give up or give in. It wasn't in me to admit defeat._

_-Bonds of Time_

**Bonds Of Fate**

**Chapter Five**

**Enjoy The Silence**

The next afternoon I woke up at one o'clock as usual, I got ready for the day and spent extra time reading and drinking my coffee. I didn't have to make my rounds for another twenty minutes and I wanted to just enjoy the peace and quiet for a little bit longer. But instead, I went for the door, book and coffee in hand. The landscape was painted white reminding more of home in Baia than the Montana wilderness that I had become accustomed to. Icicles dangled precariously from the roof's ledge and I had to duck my head to avoid them as I walked out onto the grounds.

Just like the day before, a lone figure appeared and I hid behind the wall to avoid startling her. Instead of using the track to run – like the other novices would – she ran alongside the tall iron fence and lapped the property in its entirety. I wondered if she was looking for the best possible escape route, or if she just making sure- with her own two eyes- that the academy was safe enough for the Princess. The latter seemed more to fit what little I knew of her personality. I stepped out from my hiding place and walked towards the watch tower, where I spent the beginning of every day. From there I could see far past the wards and into the untamed wilderness. But today, my gaze stayed on the girl as she ran. After the first lap, I had thought that she would take a break or go back to her dorm. Once again, I was surprised when she ran another two laps around the Academy and then stopped at the doors to the gym. She opened the door and slipped inside, leaving me standing in the cold filled with curiosity. The doors should have been locked, but apparently whoever had left the gym last had failed to lock them. I would mention it to Guardian Alto later, I told myself.

Not wanting to scare Rose, I went in through the side door of the gym. Loud music echoed throughout the large space as I walked across the dark room. There was no need to stay quiet, Rose was belting out the lyrics to songs as she danced and hit the punching bags. She looked so beautiful and so alive in that moment that it almost made up for the horrible out of tune singing. I sat down in the shadows and felt more than a little bit guilty as I watched the way she moved. Starting out, her hits and kicks had been quick and forceful as though the punching bag had offending her, but after a few songs, she switched to playful kicks and dancing around more than training methods. The 80s were well before her time, and I wondered where she had picked up fondness for that kind of music. And then_ IT _came on. Prince's 'Kiss'. Part of my hearing died that day, but it was worth it to see her let loose. I felt intensely voyeuristic and guilty as I watched her lean body move against the punching bag. Her hands grasped the side of the leather pole as she banged her head from side to side as she slid down its length. I had to stop this. It felt wrong to sit back and not warn her to my presence.

I walked out of the shadows when the song ended. "The Strigoi will never know what hit them."

She spun around quickly and swayed on her feet as her eyes met mine. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Since Phil Collins." I couldn't help but laugh at her.

"But that was like four hours ago!" She said in horror as she glanced at the clock. "You couldn't warn me so I didn't make an ass out of myself?"

"No," I said in an unapologetic tone. "It was good to see you act your age. You have not done that since you've been here. You are not what I expected."

"What did you expect?" She tilted her head to the side. "A prim proper studious little girl that ran off looking for adventure?"

"From what I gathered," I told her honestly, "I thought I would find a rebellious girl who liked to party and get into fights, but protected her friends. I knew that you and Miss Dragomir would try to run when we found you. And I expected you to scream and argue the whole way back. But you are not that girl."

Her expression turned guarded and I regretted whatever I had said to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Would you like some coffee?" I offered, hoping to break the tense silence.

"Sure." She held her hand out for the steaming cup and as soon as it was in her hand she downed it in one drink.

"What I didn't expect was just how hard you fought us." I refilled her cup and hoped to put her at ease. "You knew we were there even though I had gone through extensive planning not to tip you off. You surprised me."

"And today, you liked my singing so much you had to stay and listen?" She smirked at me, the light returning to her eyes.

My mind flashed back to her Prince rendition. "I thought someone was torturing a cat."

She choked on her drink as she tried to contain her laughter. I winced in sympathy as I patted her on the back.

"So what's the training exercise today, Comrade?" She rasped out. "Are we going to slap bowls of water or maybe meditate and sing kumbaya?"

"Not today," I said quickly, "but I'll keep those in mind. Today we are going to go for twelve laps around the gym and then you are going to go back to your dorm to sleep. It is not good to keep depriving yourself of sleep. You will burn yourself out quickly."

"I can't help it." She said as she stood up and followed me. "I just haven't been tired."

I turned to her with a brow raised at the obvious lie. She needed to know that I could see through her deception.

"So where are you from?" She asked as ran on the snow covered grass beside the track.

"Baia." I responded shortly, caught off guard by the personal question.

"Siberia, right?" She looked at me with curious eyes.

"Yes," I replied.

"So you feel right at home with all this fluffy white stuff, don't you?" She gestured to our surroundings.

"It's not always cold there." I told her. "The summers are actually very pleasant."

"Do you have family there?" Her voice sounded wistful, as though she truly wanted to know.

"My mother, grandmother and three sisters." I grinned, thinking of them.

"Ouch." Rose chuckled. "An all women household, that must have been pretty rough."

"Not really." I smiled at her. "It was nice to always be surrounded by family."

Her gaze darkened and I watched her shake her head as she sped up.

"Your mother is very influential in the guardian ranks." I said as I caught up with her.

"She is very good at what she does." She said in agreement.

It was a thoughtless thing that I had done, bringing up the mother that she rarely saw, and I tried to make it right. "Back home my mother used to make this wonderful bread. I can't tell you how many times I got into trouble when I would get caught stealing it from the kitchen before dinner."

"You must have been starved to steal a Russian woman's bread from her own kitchen." She joked.

"The bread was worth the lecture." I laughed.

It felt good to talk about my home and family. Not many people had bothered to ask, and I had never really felt comfortable talking about it, considering the way most people felt about dhampir towns like Baia. But Rose listened without judgment, as though she was interested about my life. I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for her to grow up under the sole care of the Academy. It made me grateful that I had a loving family.

"So you like Louis L'amour books?" She asked me as we rounded the track once more.

"Yes, I find them to be very calming." I said quizzically, as I turned to stare at her . "You are very observant."

"Not enough to keep track of the time." She said, glancing at my watch. "It's been fun, comrade."

Without warning she took off towards the novice dorms, leaving me staring at her in confusion, but when I saw the time, I realized that she was right. It was six thirty in the evening and I had less than an hour before I would meet her again in the gym.

* * *

Rose missed breakfast that day, and I worried that I had kept her out too late running. It was rare that I took meals in the main dining hall, but I had hoped that she would heed my advice. The Princess sat beside Mr. Ozera and Miss Dashkov, looking forlorn as she listened to the other girl talk.

"Any update on Hathaway?" Alberta asked as she sat down.

"She has been skipping meals." I told her.

"That's understandable considering the amount of work that her other instructors have set for her." Alberta said with a disgruntled tone. "Stan is convinced that she will complete two years worth of work in six weeks. Her other teachers have done the same. I'd be surprised if she made it to a meal a day."

"That's quite excessive in terms of punishment." I said in concern. "The girl is already stressed out as it is."

"Kirova approved it," Alberta shook her head and slammed her fork onto the table, "and after seeing the state she was in the other day, I have to say that I'm worried about the girl. Her mother is a good friend of mine and I'd hate to have to tell Janine that we failed to help her daughter when she needed it. I also read your report and heard the rumors about what happened last night. She did very well protecting the other students. She's a far cry from the Rose I remember. So I don't think it's right to completely isolate her the way they have. Did you know that they are punishing any student that so much as talks to her and Kirova is banning her from even attending services at the chapel?"

"I was not aware of that." I said as I looked towards the empty seat.

"I half expected Hathaway to burst into my office ranting and raving after Stan gave her that mountain of homework, but according to the hall monitor in the novice dorms, she's been staying in her room and working non-stop." Alberta gave me a pointed look. "As her mentor, I'm going to ask you to keep a closer eye on her. Something about her behavior doesn't add up, and considering her history, I don't quite know what to expect from her."

"I know what you mean." I looked down at my plate.

Alberta stood up, leaving her tray untouched as she walked away. A few minutes later, I did the same, only I walked back to the kitchens. When I opened the door I could hear Georgetta rambling off to her co-worker in Russian. She was an elderly dhampir woman who had been working at the Academy for close to forty years and she was one of the few people that I spoke to regularly.

"Guardian Belikov!" She said happily as she walked up to me. "What can I do for you, sweetheart?"

"Can I get two servings of breakfast to take with me?" I asked as I put my arm around her shoulders. "How are you today, Georgetta?"

"Stop, you sly devil." She laughed as she slapped my hand and winked at me. "You don't have to flirt with me to get breakfast."

I laughed softly as she walked away and made two heaping plates of food and put them into a basket along with a stack of toasted bread. She placed silverware, napkins and a bottle of juice in the basket before she handed it to me.

"Go now, child." She shooed me out of the kitchen. "Leave an old woman to her work."

"Thank you, Georgetta!" I said as the door swung shut behind me.

Ashford was leaving the dining hall and I grabbed his shoulder to stop him, startling the boy. "Guardian Belikov!"

"Find Hathaway." I ordered him. "Tell her to meet me in the conference room in fifteen minutes."

"Rose hasn't done anything wrong, sir!" He said in her defense and it made me glad that she had such loyal friends.

"Be sure she is there, Ashford." I told him as I walked out into the cold fall evening.

Fifteen minutes later she walked in, looking wind swept and tired as she sat heavily in the chair across from me.

"You wanted to see me?" She asked as she rubbed a hand across her face.

"You missed breakfast." I said plainly as I kept my eyes on her.

She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. "I had to get yesterdays homework finished for Mr. Ellsworth and Guardian Alto. I didn't have time."

"Well you do now." I said as I placed the basket on the table.

Her eyes lit up as she watched me pull out the covered plates of food and I could see the growing hunger in her eyes. She started eating before I could even sit down and had devoured half a plates worth of eggs and bacon in under two minutes. When there was nothing left to eat, she sat back and groaned.

"Thanks, comrade," she leaned forward and put her forehead on the table, "but I think if I so much as move, I'm going to be sick."

"We will not be training today." I said quietly.

She picked up her head and her gaze locked with mine. "I can't afford to fall even more behind in training."

I gave her a pointed look. "We both know that you are far beyond your peers. You should be fine missing a day or two of training, if it will make it easier to get to the dining hall on time."

I made sure to keep it as a statement and not a request. My eyes stayed on hers and I caught a flash of disappointment flit across her face before she put on her normal mask of indifference.

"How are you doing in your classes?" I leaned forward and crossed my arms on the table.

"I'm catching up." She covered her mouth as she yawned then shook her head. "It's taking me some time to get used to the vampire sleep schedule."

"You slept at night while you were out with the Princess?" I asked curiously.

"Well, yeah." She shrugged. "It was pretty great."

Our conversation came to a halt when Alberta walked in. "Guardian Belikov, may I have a word?"

Rose gave the older woman a small smile as she stood up and walked out of the room without a word. My eyes followed her until she was out of sight and then I turned to face Guardian Petrov.

"I apologize for interrupting." She said as she sat down in the seat Rose had just vacated. "I see that you brought breakfast to the girl since you couldn't get the girl to breakfast."

Her comment was lighthearted and I took that as a good sign. "Yes, it's pointless to try and train someone who can barely stand."

"Good work." She nodded at me. "I know you've got a full schedule and have taken over Hathaway's training, but Guardian Chase has been called back for an assignment at Court and I was hoping you wouldn't mind helping me fill in for him from time to time. It will be every other morning, making rounds around the dorms. Just to be sure there aren't any parties or students out after hours."

"I can do that." I replied after thinking about it for a moment.

* * *

Rose showed up for lunch that afternoon, she had barely had time to take a bite of her sandwich before Kirova walked over to her table and said something that I couldn't make out from all the way across the dining hall. The Princess looked furious, but Rose just looked resigned as she placed the sandwich back on the tray. Kirova walked away with a smile on her face, and I knew that she had just added another punishment to Rose's sentence. I don't know why it bothered me so much. Maybe Rose was right, living with women all of my life must have gotten to me. I had the urge to protect her like she was one of my sisters. I watched as Rose stood up and left the dining hall, stopping only long enough to throw the uneaten sandwich away.

She didn't show up for dinner that night. But hours later, she showed up to the gym right on time. For the next few weeks our routine became something that I looked forward to each day. The weather became colder and more unpredictable with each day that passed by. But each day when I woke up, I knew that I could find Rose in the gym or running beside the fence. She was wonderful to talk to, like a breath of fresh air. I had told her things about myself and about my past, things that I had not told anyone else. Slowly she started opening up to me. First it was talking about music. She loved various types of music and most afternoons I could find her listening to it full blast while she worked out. Food was her second love, she admitted to me one day when I showed up at the gym with a basket full of sandwiches, knowing that she had skipped dinner the night before.

"I set the kitchen on fire twice in Portland." She laughed and then took another bite of the sandwich. "The first time I was trying to make cookies. Lissa and I were playing a video game while they baked and before I knew it the oven was full of flames. Without thinking, I opened it, grabbed the hot ass cookie sheet and threw it out the kitchen window, fire and all."

"Your apartment was on the third floor." I said with raised eyebrows.

"No shit!" She chuckled and her eyes held a light that I never wanted to see extinguished. "So I run down the three flights of stairs in naught but my jammies, only to run into the land lady who was walking in with her groceries. She's like ninety years old and half deaf and blind, and sitting on top of her brown paper bag full of vegetables, is a charred smoking cookie."

"What did you do?" I asked curiously, loving the sound of her voice.

"I plucked the fucking cookie from the bag and ran out the door." Rose took a drink of soda and then looked at me with a smile on her face. "I still have the scars."

She lifted her wrist and I could see the small patches of skin that were a shade lighter than the rest. My hand grabbed her arm gently as I pulled it closer to see the extent of the damage. Her whole arm trembled in my grasp. With every day that passed, I could see the rings under her eyes grow darker, and I knew that she was still not sleeping well. She was losing weight, and although the intense training was garnering her more muscle, she was starting to look fragile and continuously exhausted.

_Trust me._ I wanted to tell her. But I did not. I feared that the small comfortable rapport that we had established would be broken if I crossed the line into ordering her around during the few hours that we spent when no one else was around. It felt wrong to feel so attached to her, but after only a month, she had already become a constant in my life and I didn't want that to change.

**End Chapter Five**

* * *

**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know if it's still following well with Bonds of Time.**

**Thank you to everyone that has read, reviewed, followed and favorited this story!**

**Special thanks to Caden29 for all of her awesome work! ::Sends Jolly Rancher Moonshine:::**


	6. The Line Begins To Blur

**Companion piece to Bonds of Time. Rose Hathaway is a mystery Dimitri needs to solve, but with every clue and each new thing he learns, two more questions are revealed. He is determined to figure her out, but might end up falling for her instead. Only Time will tell. - Vampire Academy AU.- Rated M for graphic lemons, language and violence.**

* * *

_The water was far too hot, but I didn't have the will to turn it down. I stood under the boiling spray and tried to wash away the feeling of dark things crawling and touching me. My hands shook as I grabbed the towel off the bar and climbed back out of the shower stall. _

_There wouldn't be any running today. It had taken almost all of my energy to walk from the dorms to the gym, and by the time I sat down on the bleachers, my face was soaked in a cold sweat even though it was cold enough to snow outside. I wiped my forehead with the sleeve of my shirt and put my head in my hands to keep myself from passing out. I stared down at the floor beneath my feet as I tried to distract myself from the awful feeling._

_-Bonds of Time_

**Bonds of Fate**

**Chapter Six**

**The Line Begins To Blur**

My day started like any other. I woke up and got myself showered and dressed. With my book in my pocket and coffee in my hand, I headed out ready to face a new day. Rose had missed dinner the night before and I stopped by the kitchens to pick up the basket that Georgetta had left for me. By the time I made it to the watchtower, it was almost two thirty in the afternoon. The afternoon sun was completely hidden behind a curtain of dark blue storm clouds and the air was so cold that my breath created little puffs of fog in front of me. But as my eyes searched the property line for the third time, I still found no sign of my running girl. Maybe she had slept in. I told myself as disappointment crept in. I shouldn't have felt like that. I should have been thrilled that she was finally adjusting to being back at the Academy. But I wasn't.

And then there she was, walking slowly out of the novice dorms. Even at a distance I could see her stumble as she walked, not ran, towards the gym. Immediately I felt bad for being disappointed and I wondered what had happened to change her routine. Her steps were careful and labored as she hugged her arms to her chest. It looked as though it took all of her strength to open the gym doors. After one last look around the premises, I walked quickly back down the stairs. The cold wind whipped around me as my heart raced, it seemed as though I couldn't get there fast enough. By the time I reached the bottom step, I couldn't help but jog the rest of the way to the gym. It was unlike Rose to simply walk there in the mornings.

I opened the door and walked in, in the dim lighting I could see her sitting with her head in her hands. I flipped the light switches on, but she didn't move. When I rounded the corner and looked at her from the front, my heart lurched. From across the gym I could see the blood that pooled around her, covering her clothes and hands as she sat there unmoving.

"Rose?" My voice had came out as a whisper, but still it startled her to the point that she almost fell over.

She looked up, blood pouring out of her nose, as she shielded her eyes from the light. "Yeah?"

"Rose, your bleeding." I moved toward her quickly.

She looked down and then wiped a hand across her face, smearing blood across her cheek. My steps faltered as I saw that the flow didn't stop. Her face was pale and ashen, the dark rings under her eyes looked more pronounced than ever. She looked like something out of a zombie movie.

"Fuck!" She spat as she buried her nose into her shirt and stood up.

She started to walk away just as I reached her. My hand shot out and grabbed her arm to stop her, but I only succeeded in pulling her off balance. She fell, twisting out of my grasp, as I tried and failed to catch her before she hit the mat. Blood poured from her nose and down the side of her cheek as she laid there with heavily lidded eyes.

"What did you do to yourself?" I asked as I lowered myself to my knees and pulled her head onto my lap.

"Walked here?" She slurred and covered her face with her hands. "I don't know. Just fucking kill me now."

"Have you hit your head?" I tried to move her hands away as I mentally went through the list of symptoms of overdoses and concussions. "Have you taken any kind of drugs or medication?"

"I wish, to all three of those choices." She slapped at my arm. "And no to all three, unfortunately."

"This is nothing to joke about, Rose." I grasped the side of her face and pried her eyelids open as I checked for signs of head trauma.

Her eyes met mine and she smiled up at me as she tried to bring her face closer. For a moment, I lost myself in her beautiful brown eyes, but I snapped out of it quickly.

"When was the last time you slept, Rose?" I whispered to her.

Her eyes were unguarded and I saw nothing but heartache and pain overwhelm her as she shut me out quickly and looked away.

"Don't lie to me." I said when I saw her trying to make up excuses. "When was the last time you slept for a full night?"

"A few weeks." She lifted her arm to shield her eyes. "I've been a bit busy trying to catch up in classes and stuff."

My fear for her overwhelmed me and I grasped her shoulders tightly. "That is no excuse for jeopardizing your health."

"You know what?" She pulled herself out of my arms as though I wasn't even holding on to her. She swayed to the side as she pointed her finger at me with blood rushed down her face. "I'm trying my damned best to meet everybody's demands in this fucking place. And every time I turn around its; 'You're doing this wrong, Hathaway.' 'You're a danger to the princess, Hathaway.' 'You're not allowed to breathe, Hathaway.' And that's just from the instructors. No one will dare even speak to me in fear of the consequences they'll face. I spend night and day training or in class. I've been on my best behavior and have held my tongue when being bitched at when all I want to do is tell them to shove their rules and this school straight up their ass. But I stay because of Lissa. She's worth all of this bullshit. I get that I fucked up by leaving with her, but at least out there we were _both_ safe and happy."

Her words stopped me in my tracks. It was the first time that I had ever heard her complain about the pressure that she was under. It made me want to find Alto and Kirova and strangle them both with my bare hands, because _they_ had made her feel that way. And that scared me. She brought to life emotions that I had never felt before. She had been the one to make me feel welcomed and wanted. But it hurt to think that she wasn't happy here. It was like a punch to the gut to hear her say that the Princess was the only reason she stayed. And I didn't know why. I watched as she stumbled towards the lockers and grabbed an armful towels, with shaky hands she mopped up the blood from the floor and mat. I stood up and moved toward her, hoping to be able to stop her. I was just a few feet away as she collapsed. Reaching out, I caught her as she fell, holding her close to my chest as I lifted her up and carried her towards the doors.

"You're going to be okay, Roza," I assured her as I kicked the doors open and carried her out into the cold afternoon air., "I'll make sure of it."

Her head lolled to the side as she lost consciousness. I stopped and knelt down, shaking her shoulders to try and keep her awake, but she remained lethargic. Blood continuously flowed from her nose and I readjusted her in my arms as I ran towards the clinic. She had definitely lost weight, she felt feather-light in my arms and I feared the worst. I had never saw someone lose that much blood from a simple nosebleed before.

The clinic was well lit and I could see Dr. Olendzki talking to her nurse when I pushed the door open with my shoulder. Both of them rushed forward at the sight of Rose. Trickles of blood dotted the floor as they pushed me towards an exam room in the back.

"What's happened?" Dr. Olendzki asked as I set Rose on the bed.

"I found her in the gym covered in blood." I said through heavy breaths. "It's just a nosebleed. She was conscious until about three minutes ago."

"Miss Hathaway makes even the smallest ailments look like a major catastrophe." She clucked as she tried to staunch the bleeding. "Angie get me a syringe of class two hemostatic and more gauze. We're going to need it"

"She said that she hasn't slept much since being back here." I told her as I watched the nurse bring in the syringe. "I've been making sure that she eats regularly."

"We'll need to run some tests to find out what's going on." The doctor said as she injected the medicine into Rose's arm.

The nurse administered the IV and placed a bag of fluids on the stand next to the bed as the doctor filled vial after vial of blood from the open vein.

"Will she have any left after these tests?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"If we don't do the test we won't figure out what's wrong." The doctor looked up and shot me a sympathetic smile.

She walked away with the vials in hand as the nurse moved forward with a wet cloth. She was far from gentle as she scrubbed at Rose's bloodstained skin. I stood and grabbed her hand, taking the rag away from her as I gently wiped the blood away. The nurse left with a final huff of irritation, leaving me alone with Rose. She looked so small and fragile lying there on the hospital bed. My fingers brushed the hair out of hair face and I carefully gathered it up and twisted it up and out of the way so that it didn't get tangled up beneath her. When I had finished cleaning her hands and face as best as I could, I sat down in the chair beside the bed and put my head down as I scrubbed at my face with my hands.

"Guardian Belikov." The doctor said as she walked into the room holding a chart in her hand. "I have no idea how Miss Hathaway has made it this long without collapsing. Look at this arrhythmia," she pointed at the monitor that should the irregular heartbeat, "another few days and Miss Hathaway would have been a lost cause."

"Is there any way to help her?" I asked desperately.

"We'll be giving her plenty of fluids over the next few hours, along with a few pints of blood, and some fairly powerful sedatives." She walked over and grasped my shoulder tightly. "She'll be just fine in no time. It was very lucky that you found her."

I looked away quickly and breathed a sigh of relief at the news but I had another question. "About a month ago Rose had a flashback. Is there any way to know if she has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?"

"I'm not a trained psychologist." The doctor shook her head as she glanced over at her patient. "But I can say that I don't think PTSD was the cause of the flashback. Sleep deprivation can cause some pretty extreme hallucinations. If her mind was weak to the point that she believed the hallucination to be real, then it could seem very much like a flashback to an outside observer. Episodes like that can be very dangerous. She will need to start sleeping regularly to avoid such an event from happening again."

"I'll make sure she does." I promised myself.

Hours passed as I sat in the uncomfortable chair and read. I was grateful that it was the weekend and I didn't have anything else to do, because there was no way I could stand the thought of leaving her. It was a relief to know that the flashback wasn't a sign of PTSD, but still I was left with more questions. Rose Hathaway didn't make sense to me. I grew up with three sisters and thought that I could read people pretty well, but Rose was still a mystery. She had a warriors eyes and a smile that never really seemed to reach them unless she didn't think anyone else was looking. She certainly didn't act like a normal seventeen year old girl.

"Not here, comrade," She mumbled as she rolled over to face me with droopy eyes, "you could have taken me anywhere but here and I would have been happy."

Her words struck a chord somewhere deep in my mind and I couldn't help but feel a small thrill to know that she would have been happy with me. I blocked out those unwanted thoughts as I looked back at Rose and found her staring at her hands in awed wonder. She brought her hand close to her face and sniffed it with her head cocked to the side. Her pink tongue stuck out and licked her index finger and I lifted an eyebrow at the oddity of her actions while I had to readjust myself in the chair.

The nurse chuckled into her hand from across the hall and looked up at me through her lashes. Effectively killing the mood and breaking me out of the awkward moment. The doctor walked in with a small syringe and looked up when she saw that Rose was awake.

"Who's my favorite doctor?" Rose slurred as she squinted her eyes.

"Well, you certainly visit me more than anyone else." Dr. Olendzki said as she checked Rose's vital signs.

"So am I dying or some shit?" Rose asked curiously and without fear as I began to worry about her mental state even more.

She leaned forward and stared so closely at the machine that her nose almost touched it.

"Far from it." Dr. Olendzki looked closely at Rose as though she too was surprised with the question. "You're as healthy as can be. Just sleep deprived and dehydrated. But I think we've fixed that."

"Darn," Rose snapped her fingers and shook her head, "I was hoping to retire to Hawaii."

"Well, I don't know about Hawaii, but you are free to leave when you feel up to it." The doctor sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at Rose. "I'll be giving you some medicine to help you sleep. And you better take it or you'll end up back in here, missy."

"Okay," Her fingers were crossed and I pointed it out to the doctor who shook her head in exasperation as I got up and went to the nurse's station to pick up the medication myself.

The nurse gave me a cocky smirk as she handed me a full bottle of pills. She picked up a tray from the counter and walked into Rose's curtained off room where said girl was tangling up wires and IV lines in an effort to get them off. Dr. Olendzki walked out and chuckled as Rose ended up making even more of a mess out of her clothes. The nurse hissed something at her that made Rose stick her tongue out childishly.

"It would be best to keep her from anything stressful over the weekend, but she should be ready for classes on Monday." Dr. Olendzki's said in amusement when the nurse walked out with a sour look on her face. "For the next few hours she's going to need supervision. Nothing major, it's just that the medication could make her a little more irrational than normal."

I could her Rose huff loudly from behind the curtain and the doctor rolled her eyes and smiled at me as she walked back to her office. Rose pulled the curtain back just enough to poke her head out as she searched for something or someone. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing as she tiptoed out of the clinic as though she was making a fantastic escape. Yes, the drugs had really gotten to her. The cold air didn't even seem to faze her as it blew her hair into her face.

She brushed past me and started to walk towards the novice dorms but I grabbed her arm to stop her. "You can't be alone right now, Rose. And as you are not allowed any visitors, there is no other option, you're going to have to come with me."

"I'll be fine." She batted at a lock of her hair like she was a cat playing with a toy. "You don't have to baby sit me."

"I gave my word that I'd keep an eye on you." And damn, she looked like she needed to be supervised by someone more qualified than I was.

Her eyes lit up as she danced in place. "So where are we going?"

"I have paperwork to do." I said and watched as she giggled and covered her mouth.

Rose's expression changed suddenly and there was a far away look in her eyes as she clenched her fists at her sides and stood perfectly still. I waved my hand in front of her face and got no response. I was about to reach out and touch her, but her eyes snapped open and I could see fury burning in them.

"Shit!" She said lowly as she took off running, leaving me shell shocked and trying to catch up to her. "Lissa's in danger."

I sped up and was about to ask her what was going on when she yelled at me. "Put your hand on my shoulder and don't let me run into anything!"

I did as she asked, realizing that she was using the bond to find the Princess. After a few seconds of running in silence she snapped out of it and pulled away from me, running far faster than she needed to with all of the drugs that were in her system. But if she was right, and the Princess was in danger, then we didn't have any time to lose.

"I never should have let her come back. It's not safe here." She growled out when the Moroi dorms were in sight.

"What's happened, Rose?" I asked as she flung open the door and ran in, scaring people with her sudden appearance.

"Someone is trying to fuck with Lissa." She whispered back to me just as the Princess came into view.

"Lissa, wait!" She slammed into the other girl, almost knocking her off her feet. "Don't go in there."

"Why?" The Princess asked in alarm. "What's happened?"

"I'm not sure yet, but something doesn't feel right." Rose said cryptically. "Wait out here and I'll go in and check it out."

I reached out to stop her, but she grabbed the door knob and nodded her head for me to take the lead. I pulled my stake out of my belt clip sheath and held it tightly hidden beneath the sleeve of my duster as I carefully stepped into the room. Blood was smeared thickly on the wall opposite of the doorway, painting the words 'LEAVE NOW' in large bold letters. A mangled fox lay on the bed, it's throat clearly slit, and it looked like whoever had done this had painted the message with part of the creatures flesh. Rose shut the door behind me and pulled a small pink camera off the desk and began snapping pictures of the room. I was proud of her taking the initiative to get the untainted evidence recorded, but at the same time, I wondered how she had known what we would find. Indistinct chatter sounded from the hallway and I knew that we would have to be quick and quiet about our investigation. It worried me to leave the Princess outside and unprotected, but I didn't know how the girl would react to seeing the room in it's current state.

"Lissa's okay." Rose said as she dug around in the bathroom cabinet and stood up holding a trash bag. "I'm keeping a check on her."

The bond, of course she wouldn't just leave her charge out there if there was danger nearby. She handed me a bottle of cleaning solution and a roll of paper towels as she moved around the bed, pulling the blanket over the mangled corpse and stuffing it all into the bag. I could see her grimace as she worked and I almost wanted to tell her to wait in the hall, but seeing the look of fury on her face and knowing that she had a lot of drugs in her system, I knew I had to keep her close and out of trouble. It amazed me that she was able to even think rationally while being under the influence of such powerful sedatives, but then again, almost everything about her amazed me.

We finished cleaning up the mess and both searched the room one last time to make sure we hadn't missed anything. Finding it clean, I opened the door and waited for Rose to go out. As she passed through the door, she handed me the camera, and I put it into my pocket while keeping my eyes on the Princess. Her eyes met Rose's and then traveled down. I could see the panic in her eyes when she looked at her friends bloodstained clothing. The Princess's roommate cut off her chance to question Rose as she ran up to her and then looked at Rose and I with wide eyes.

"What's going on?" The girl asked. "Are you okay, Lissa? Rose?"

"We're fine." Rose growled out. "Some idiot tried to play a prank on Lissa."

"How did you know?" The Princess asked as she narrowed her eyes, making her roommate and I all stare at Rose and wait for an answer.

"I overheard someone talking about it." Rose hissed out as she avoided looking at me.

She was going to have to tell me just how she knew about the sick joke. From what I knew of her bond, she could only sense what the Princess was feeling. But maybe she could sense when the other girl was in danger, too. That would explain how she had known we were there the night we cornered them in Portland.

"I will stay with the princess for the rest of the day." I told Rose as I could see her temper rising. "You need to get back to your dormitory, Miss Hathaway."

The Moroi were all staring and whispering in the cramped hallway as they tried to get an idea to what was going on. They gawked and pointed at Rose and I mentally cursed them for their lack of subtlety.

"Looking good today, Rose!" Ivan's young nephew shouted at her.

His tone had been far more appreciative than mocking as he stared unabashedly at her. She waved off his comment and walked out without a word to him or anyone else. Once again, I was proud of her restraint. It felt wrong to let her leave unsupervised, but the Princess was still my charge and she needed to be kept safe until we found out who had access to her room.

"What's going on?" The Princess asked me, making me turn around to face her. "What happened to Rose? She was covered in blood."

"She busted her nose during training." I lied, not wanting to break Rose's trust. "You need to come with me, Princess."

The Dashkov girl tried to follow us, but I gave her a pointed look and she stopped in her tracks looking forlorn and slightly irritated.

"Please, call me Lissa." The girl said as she struggled to keep up with my fast pace. "I hate all of that, Princess, Vasilisa, Miss Dragomir nonsense."

"Someone in the Academy has just tried to play a very cruel joke on you, _Lissa_." I told her as soon as we were out of earshot of anyone else. "What worries me is that they had access to your room."

"Well, I have my share of enemies." She let out a dry laugh. "Half of the population seems to hate me."

"The type of prank they pulled was far more than a childish act. It was malicious and sick." I opened the door to the Headmistress's office and let Lissa walk in front of me. "Will you be okay staying here with the Headmistress until I can get an official report filed?"

"I guess." She said kindly. "Really though, there's no need to go through all that trouble. I'm sure things will settle down eventually."

"Princess Dragomir, Guardian Belikov. What is going on?" Kirova asked as she walked out of her office and locked the door behind her.

I explained the situation as best as I could and left the Princess in her care while I went to speak to Alberta. Guardian Petrov was less than thrilled about the incident and swore that she would find out who would do such a thing. When I told her my theories about Rose's bond with Lissa, she seemed intrigued and even slightly jealous.

"I read the file Dr. Olendzki handed me this morning." Alberta looked worn out as she stared down at the pictures on the camera. "Rose has driven herself into the ground trying to keep up, it seems."

"The doctor gave her pills to help her sleep, but I doubt she will take them." I told her honestly.

"You're already going out of your way to make sure the girl eats." Alberta shook her head and sighed as she shut off the camera. "I feel wholly responsible for this mess. If I had payed more attention before, the two of them may have never left in the first place."

"Hathaway is very headstrong and she puts the Princess's well being above her own." I assured her. "If the Princess felt threatened here and wanted to leave tomorrow, Hathaway wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again."

"That's what worries me." Alberta looked up at me. "She trusts you. Keep an eye on her, but if you see any sign of the two of them planning an escape, please let me know immediately."

"Of course, Guardian Petrov." I said as I stood up and left the office.

My mind raced as I tried to sleep later that morning. The sun would be up in less than an hour and I could already see the sky lightening. I wondered if Rose had made it back to her dorm okay. What had kept her from showing up to dinner? Had she taken her medication. Was she already asleep, or was she kept awake by her own thoughts like I was. It puzzled me just how much things had changed since I saw her that first night. And I didn't want to go back to the way things were before.

**End Chapter Six**

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	7. Life Is Beautiful

**Companion piece to Bonds of Time. Rose Hathaway is a mystery Dimitri needs to solve, but with every clue and each new thing he learns, two more questions are revealed. He is determined to figure her out, but might end up falling for her instead. Only Time will tell. - Vampire Academy AU.- Rated M for graphic lemons, language and violence.**

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_The look on his face as he stared into my eyes was etched into my memory. His kiss was burnt onto my lips. And all I wanted was more. I needed him like I needed air. My heart beat faster at the mere thought of him liking me even a fraction of the amount that I loved him. And I didn't care how long it would take for him to realize that I truly cared about him. I would wait patiently._

_-Bonds of Time_

**Bonds of Fate**

**Chapter Seven**

**Life Is Beautiful**

Over the next week, the pattern of my days didn't change. Every afternoon I got up and made my rounds and then I would go up to the watchtower and wait for her to appear. And just like clockwork, she would show up at the gym. With each passing day, the shadows left her eyes and she became more lively, more alert and far less paranoid. She often joked around or worked out while I read. Or I acted like I was reading. She was like a magnet and everywhere she went, my eyes had to follow. Some days she would sit down beside me, pick up her cup of coffee and quietly listen as I read to her about the old west. She would close her eyes and smile as she leaned back on her elbows and I wondered what she was daydreaming about.

It was early afternoon on Halloween, when things abruptly changed. The day would be forever etched into my memory as one of the best experiences of my life and also one of the worst. Rose had missed dinner that morning and I had asked Georgetta to let me use the kitchen, the elderly woman demanded that she make me dinner and promised that she would leave the basket in the walk in cooler. After picking it up, I met Rose in the gym for our daily routine. Only things didn't go quite as I had planned.

Europe's The Final Countdown played loudly on the radio when I walked into the gym. The lights were bright, leaving no shadows for me to hide in as I watched her. Rose looked beautiful as she spun around on the balancing beam, then she did a cart wheel and jumped into the air at the end of the beam, landing perfectly on her feet. Without missing a beat she jumped onto the beam and ran to the center of it with the grace of a dancer as she jumped into the air and grabbed hold of the metal rings. She swung herself out as far as they would let her go and then she released them, making my heart stop as she fell twenty feet and landed so close to me that I could smell her citrus scented shampoo.

"What's for dinner?" She rubbed her hands together with a gleam in her eye as she stalked over to me.

"Maybe I've only brought enough for myself." I said as I put the basket on the bench behind me, blocking it from her view.

She sidestepped and tried to use a feint to get past me, but I blocked her by throwing an arm out and grabbing her around the waist and pulling her further away from the basket. She smirked at me as she put up her fists playfully and started hopping from side to side. My hair fell free from its tie as I shook my head at her antics. She darted to my right and I stepped toward her as she moved back to the left and darted around me in an effort to run for the basket. I jumped at her, my fingers grazing her thigh just as she rolled onto the mat below me and kicked me in the ribs then jumped to her feet and backed away as I walked toward her. We circled each other as the song changed once again. Her eyes lit up and she smirked at me as I pleaded to anyone that was listening that she would not sing. And to my overwhelming relief and surprise, she didn't.

She kissed her finger tips as her eyes stayed locked with mine. "For you, comrade."

I was more than a little rattled by that and misjudged my kick. If it hadn't been for Rose's quick reflexes I would have surely knocked her out. She stepped towards me quickly and used her forearm to knock me back. I grabbed her wrist and wrapped my right leg around her left knee and pulled back, causing her to fall backwards on the mat. I landed on top of her, holding myself up so that my weight didn't crush her as I held her arm up over her head. Her right hand swung out and I was unprepared for the blow, but it never hit. She patted my cheek with her fingertips, letting them slide down the plane of my jaw as she stared up into my eyes.

Before I could even register what had happened she had slid free from my grasp and as I tried to reach out and pull her back I swayed to the side. Rose stumbled but kept her footing and I couldn't help but feel a thrill wash over me that she had actually gotten the better of me. I smiled at her, knowing what my next move would be as I walked toward the bench, she followed closely, too closely. I spun around and hit her chest with the heels of my palms knocking her off of her feet and she landed hard on the mat. I leapt forward again, this time sure to pin both her arms and legs. I had only meant to show her that she needed to always stay on alert, I wanted to be able to surprise her and let her know that she wasn't as invincible as she believed she was. What I didn't mean to do was kiss her. And that ended up being exactly what I did. I half expected her to push me away or scream, but she pulled her hands free and wrapped them around my neck, pulling me closer as my mouth devoured hers.

Her lips were even softer than I had imagined and it made me want to feel more of her. All of her. My eyes closed as I savored the moment, my hands moved to her sides, intending to pull her closer, but when I opened my eyes and stared down into her unguarded lust filled eyes, I knew I could not go on. I wanted her too much. I needed her too much. And that could never happen. She was my student and I was her teacher. I was supposed to train her and get her ready to guard the princess, not make out with her in an empty gym. It was wrong to take advantage of her youthful naivety.

I stood up and pulled Rose to her feet and walked away. If I stopped once, just once, to look at her, I knew that I would walk back and take her back into my arms, so I kept walking. The offices were empty as I sat down at my tiny desk and buried my hands in my hair, as I contemplated the awful thing that I had done. Alberta would have to be told, she would need to find Rose another mentor, maybe a better one than I had turned out to be. It wouldn't be easy leaving the Academy, I felt comfortable there, it was the best I had felt since before I lost Ivan to my own stupidity and selfishness. No, I couldn't do the same to Rose. Because it was her that made me feel at home in this busy and cold place. I wanted to curse the day I met her. I wanted to go back to that day and let her run, without chasing after her. The thought of not seeing her again hurt me more than I liked to admit. It had been a moment of weakness, I told myself. I felt nothing more than a fondness a teacher can have for a student. But that was a lie. I wasn't quite sure what it was that I felt, but it was certainly inappropriate.

The bottle of vodka in my desk drawer called to me and I answered it without hesitation. I took a deep drink and let the harsh liquid burn my throat as I sat back and sighed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. The thought of going back home to Baia crossed my mind, but it would feel to much like failure. And although I had failed Ivan and Rose, I knew that it was my calling to be a guardian. There was nothing else that mattered more than protecting the Moroi. I could resign, I told myself as I took another drink. I could resign and go to court and request a transfer. Rose would graduate and be the perfect guardian for the Princess. My presence was unnecessary.

The empty bottle clinked loudly on the arm of my desk chair, pulling me out of my morose thoughts, and snapping me back into the present. The smell of her shampoo clung to my clothes, a constant reminder of the mistake I had made. My skin felt gritty and my shirt clung to me as I left the offices and went back to my room, telling myself that I would let Alberta know what had happened as soon as I had the chance. The bed looked warm and welcoming when I walked into my room and I collapsed on top of the covers, meaning to only shut my eyes for a few moments. Despite the copious amounts of vodka I had used to drown it out, I could still taste her on my lips.

She called to me as I dreamt, my name just a whisper on her lips, as she smiled at me and beckoned me closer. The sunlight poured over us as we stood on the top of a mountain, looking down at the ocean far below. Her dark hair blew back in the breeze and she shut her eyes and spun around, grabbing my hand to pull me with her. She looked up at me through her lashes and smirked as she tripped me, sending me falling into the thick lush grass. She said my name again, rolling it off of her tongue as though she could taste every syllable.

It was a sober awakening when I opened my eyes to find the room pitch black and the sky dark behind the curtains. I scrubbed at my face as I rolled over and flipped on the light switch. The bright lights flickered on making me wince as I shielded my eyes and stared down at my watch. One thirty in the morning, I had missed both my morning and afternoon shifts at the gym. Knowing that there would be hell to pay for my absence, I quickly gathered up a set of clothes and went into the bathroom for a shower. As I pulled my shirt over my head, her scent brought me back to reality -sunshine and oranges- making my mind flash back to the afternoon before. The water cascaded down my body as I tried to wash the memory away, but still, there was no way to erase her from my mind. I could still feel the heat of her body underneath me, the way she pulled me closer as she melded her body to mine.

My hand slipped down and I grasped my firm length in my hand as I closed my eyes and my mind drifted back to that moment. Except this time, in the safety of my own mind, I didn't pull away from the kiss. If I was going to actually do this, then I was going to make it worth the guilt that would come later. I tugged on my length harder as I imagined slipping my hand beneath her tank top and sliding it up towards her breasts. My breath shuddered out at the feel as my hand slipped over her bra and then entered from the top, sliding down and holding the firm soft flesh in my palm. I widened my stance in the shower and leaned a hand against the wall to brace myself as I hunched over. She bucked up into my hand as I pulled one breast free from her shirt. I quickly leaned down and sucked a nipple into my mouth, and she moaned my name in a breathless whisper. I moved my hand faster and added a twist when it reached the head before gliding back down to the base.

At the rate I was moving at, it wouldn't be long before I came. I slipped back into the fantasy just as my hand glided under her workout pants and into her panties. A full body shudder ripped through me as I stroked a finger up her hot, wet slit. It wasn't the imaginary feeling of sliding my fingers into her that threw me over the ledge, however. It was the look in her eyes and the way she softly said my name that did it. White hot lightning crackled through me as my head snapped back and my body arched up as I came harder than I ever had before.

My movements were mechanical as I finished my shower and brushed my teeth. By the time I was dressed and ready to face the consequences of my actions, my heart felt heavy and guilt ridden. The sound of indistinct yells sounded from outside and I pulled the curtain back to see the entire group of senior novices running up and down the stairs of the stadium. There she was, at the front of the pack, pulling past the others as though they were standing still as she took the steps two at a time. I could see the young men desperately trying to keep up and failing to reach their goal. She reached the bottom of the steps and turned around, grasping the hand rail and using it to propel herself back up the steps. She reached the top and jumped in the air in joy.

_Send me a sign,_ I asked the fates above as I looked up at the star filled sky,_ give me a sign that I should stay._

My pride for her outweighed my guilt and I couldn't help but smile as I watched the others shaking their heads as they started up the steps. And then suddenly, they stopped staring up at her as she screamed something at them that I could not hear from such a distance. I could see the look of fear overtake her features as the entire stadium seemed to tremble. The other novices scattered backwards as they kept their eyes on the stands. My hands gripped the edge of the window seal as I searched the surroundings for any sign of attack or threat. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, my eyes snapped back to her, just in time to see the boards beneath her feet give way. She disappeared right in front of my eyes and my heart skipped a beat as I turned around and ran out of the room. It felt as though I was moving in slow motion. The corridors seemed longer, the stairs seemed higher, and no matter how fast I ran, I couldn't get there fast enough.

The grounds passed by me in a blur as I made my way to the stadium, but when I arrived there was no stadium left. There was nothing but destruction and rubble in front of me. The entire thing had been flattened to the ground. Guardian Alto stood at the edge of the debris, calling out for her, as he flung boards over his shoulder in an attempt to dig her out. I mirrored his actions as I ran back to the closest point I could find to where she had been standing. Busted concrete, twisted metal, splintered wood. She could be underneath any of it. My hands grabbed board after board and pulled them away from the wreckage as I hoped to find her safe and unharmed.

"Belikov!" Stan yelled and my head shot up to look at him. "Watch out for the concrete, it's still weak and we don't want it to fall on her."

I couldn't respond. The spotlights came on, pointing to where the stands used to be. My heart pounded in my rib cage as I pulled pieces away and pushed them to the side. She was far too young to... No I couldn't finish that thought. She would be okay. She had to be okay. The Princess's screams cut through the night, as she screamed out Rose's name. She doubled over as her boyfriend pulled her back and held her tightly into his arms. But still she screamed for her friend. At some point, during those dark hours, Alberta appeared. She dug through the rubble with the rest of us, worry etched on her face as she moved debris out of her way and called out for the girl who had disappeared beneath it all. Time went by and I could see the others faltering and tiring as they searched. They had given up hope. But it wasn't something I could even contemplate. If this was the sign that I had asked for than fate was even crueler than I had thought. I promised myself then and there that if, no when, she made it out of this, I would not leave her.

"Rose!" I shouted for her, hoping to get some kind of response.

My voice echoed across the grounds and the other guardians turned to stare at me, but I ignored them as I picked up chunks of concrete block and tossed them behind me. Guardian Alto was digging through the rubble on the other side of the stands, and walked carelessly through the ruins as he pointed his flashlight down into the cracks. The sun had started to come up, casting a faint blue light onto the sky above us, as we searched. Stan's foot fell between two boards and he yelped as an earsplitting shriek of pain cut through the morbid silence and everyone stopped moving instantly.

"She's here!" Alto yelled as he pointed to the section of stands below him.

I scrambled through the debris, pushing and shoving block and metal alike out of my way. She was alive. I took a deep breath as I stood across from Alto and the two of us began pulling huge pieces of concrete and slabs of wood out of our way. Alberta moved around us, carefully moving wooden planks and pieces of metal out our way. And then there she was. Alberta gasped and tears ran down her face. Alto kept pulling debris out of the way. But I stood there horror struck as I looked down at her. Underneath the dirt and ruins, she was there. Her eyes were open and staring lifelessly at the orange blue sky. My heart broke as I carefully tried to free from her from the rubble.

"The other students don't need to see this." Alberta said to Stan as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve and pulled a huge piece of metal away from Rose.

"_Get to your dorms now!" Alto ordered the onlookers and then turned to the other guardians that had been helping in the search. "Escort the students to their dorms whether they like it or not."_

It was another fifteen minutes before we could move enough wreckage away to get to her. The stress broke over me and I gritted my teeth as I pulled her limp body from out of that mess. Blood poured from the open wounds and dirt and splinters covered every inch of her as I carefully carried her to where the doctor stood waiting with a stretcher. As I held her gently in my arms, I could feel her pulse, it was weak and faint, but it was there. She was still with me.

**End Chapter Seven**

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	8. Something In The Way

**Companion piece to Bonds of Time. Rose Hathaway is a mystery Dimitri needs to solve, but with every clue and each new thing he learns, two more questions are revealed. He is determined to figure her out, but might end up falling for her instead. Only Time will tell. - Vampire Academy AU.- Rated M for graphic lemons, language and violence.**

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_"The whole fucking thing collapsed on top of me thanks to a chipper little earth user who didn't have the balls to face me head on." I took a deep breath and let it out. "Now I'm probably halfway to my grave."_

_"Come on now." Adrian turned so that he faced me. "It can't be that bad."_

_"Let's just say that I have more broken bones than not and the last thing the nurse said before I blacked the fuck out was 'She's seizing!' in her high pitched annoying voice. So yeah, I'm pretty sure that my body is up shit's creek without a paddle at the moment."_

_"Rose, I have to go." Adrian pulled himself away from me. "This couldn't have happened at a worse time."_

_"I'm sorry," I said, "Should I reschedule my death? How about Tuesday? I haven't died on a Tuesday yet."_

_"I'm serious, Rose!" Adrian pulled me in for another hug. "I'm with Aunty and probably about to miss my flight."_

_"You're seriously leaving me?" I asked in disbelief. "Right now?"_

_More than anything, I didn't want to go back to that pain and torture._

_-Bonds of Time_

**Bonds of Fate**

**Chapter Eight**

**Something In The Way**

Rose's breaths were shallow and shaky as Alberta and Stan walked on either side of me, making sure that I made it through the rubble quickly and unhindered. She was cold as ice in my arms and I wanted to hold her closer to shield her from the freezing wind, but couldn't in fear of injuring her even more. As a guardian I had been trained to keep my emotions in check, to not give in to panic and fear, to always be in control. But as I held my running girl in my arms, looking down at her mangled body and extensive injuries, I could feel that control slipping away. I cared about her. And I hated that it had taken something as drastic as that moment to realize that.

"Set her down carefully." Dr. Olendzki ordered me as we walked over to where she waited.

Alberta and Stan moved to the other side of the gurney and helped me gently place Rose on the hard board. The doctor moved quickly, shooing us away as her eyes ran over Rose's body with a grimace on her face. She gently grabbed Rose's wrist as she signaled for us to start pushing her towards the clinic. We moved quickly, trying our best not to jostle her to much on the uneven ground.

Rose's swollen eyelids fluttered and she groaned, making Dr. Olendzki turn to stare at her. "Stop! She's conscious. Marina, get me fifty milligrams of morphine."

The nurse injected the syringe into the bottle and pulled the plunger back until the clear liquid almost filled the tube. She handed it to the doctor who quickly stuck the needle into Rose's arm. A strong gust of wind blew in and Rose began to writhe fiercely on the gurney.

"She's seizing!" Marina hissed as she grabbed Rose's legs and held them down.

"Hold her!" Dr. Olendzki screamed at us. "She's going into shock!"

My heart almost stopped beating as I held Rose's shoulder firmly to the board. Stan and Alberta took the other side and together the five of us pinned her in place. But still she thrashed against us. I could feel her bones shift and grind together underneath our grip and my heart broke for her.

"Hold on, Roza." I pleaded with her quietly. "Hold on, you'll get through this. Just hold on."

Her body went slack beneath us and we all pulled away quickly as we watched her head loll to the side.

The doctor grabbed her wrist and held it as she looked up at us worriedly. "She's lost consciousness again. We have to hurry."

Without delay we resumed pushing her towards the clinic. I held onto her hand the entire way, hoping that I could give her at least a little comfort. I wished that I could take the pain from her. I would give anything to see her happy and well again. The nurse rushed ahead of us and held the doors open as we pushed the gurney into the well-lit clinic.

"Guardian Petrov, Marina, you're coming with me." Dr. Olendzki said as she pulled the gurney towards the back room. I made to follow her but she stopped me. "We need to get the wounds clean and get her showered down. You and Guardian Alto can wait here. I'll need your help when we've finished."

Stan sat down heavily in one of the office chairs as I paced the room. I didn't want to leave her side, but I had no other choice. The sleeves of my duster were still stained with her blood, it left little red trails down the side of my arms that looked like spiderwebs. The wait seemed to go on forever. Stan sat quietly with his head in his hands as I walked back and forth. It took over fifteen minutes for them to push the gurney back out. Huge towels covered her, red stains already seeping through the thick cloths.

Dr. Olendzki looked over at us as they pushed Rose into one of the private rooms. "You two get in here. We're going to be straighten out what bones we can. Her adrenaline has already started the healing process, if we don't get this done quickly she may never heal right."

Stan followed me into the room and we stood on the opposite end of the bed while the nurse stayed near Rose's head and started hooking up wires to monitor Rose's heart rate. They had removed all of the dirt from her skin and hair, but huge pieces of splintered wood stuck out here and there. Her limbs were at odd angles and her skin was starting to take on a bluish hue. Her left eye was swollen shut and purple bruises covered her face. Her lips were split and bleeding slowly. It all looked so painful and I was glad that she was not awake to feel it.

"We'll start with this dislocated knee." The doctor pointed at the swollen leg where the bone was showing through the top. "Guardian Alto stand here and put pressure on the thigh while I put back. Are you ready?"

Stan nodded his head once as he pushed down slightly, causing blood to flow out of the wound, as the doctor grabbed Rose's ankle and shin and pulled back and twisted the limb and pushed it back down.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Rose screamed out, making all of us jump back in surprise as she rattled off curses in three different languages.

"My word!" Alberta looked shocked as she stared at Rose's broken fingers clutching tightly to the mattress. "She's awake."

"Yes," Rose ground out, "Yes she is. And that fucking hurt!"

"Rose," Dr. Olendzki said gently as she moved to her side, "we're going to have to straighten the rest of the bones. There is a possibility that you might need surgery. Since we can't get a hold of your mother. Is there anyone you can think of for us to call? Is there anyone you want with you?"

"I don't have any family other than Lissa and my mom." Rose grimaced and I could hear the resignation in her voice. "But I don't want either of them to see me like this."

Her hand felt along the side of the bed and I gently pulled it into my own. "Don't let Lissa come anywhere near me. Please, I'm begging you."

"I promise, Rose," I said sincerely, wondering why she didn't want her closest friend with her at this time.

"Protect her, comrade." She whispered as the doctor pointed out her elbow to Alberta who carefully held onto to Rose's upper arm. "She's not safe here."

She screamed as the joint was pushed back into place. Her hands shook and she bit down on her split lip as they repeat the action over and over again, but she didn't cry out anymore.

"You can scream all you want, Rose," The doctor assured her, "we don't mind. Don't hold it in."

"Throat hurts." Rose groaned. "Can't you knock me out with some better drugs?"

"We've already given you too much." The doctor tried to console her. "I'm sorry, dear."

"Well that sucks." Rose sulked. "Alright, let's do this bitch. Pop my shit back into place. Any chance you can make me double jointed in that surgery? That would be freaking awesome."

"It doesn't really work that way." Dr. Olendzki chuckled as she nodded at me to hold Rose down while she fixed the other leg.

Alberta and Stan left half an hour later, leaving me to hold Rose's hand as the last of the splinters were removed and the cuts were stitched back up. I stayed by her side as the doctor took the x-rays needed for her surgery. Rose looked exhausted but every time she would start to fall asleep there was another procedure that needed to be done. When the surgeon arrived I moved to stand, but Rose held tightly to me as she eyed the new doctor warily. I turned my head to the side when he carelessly pulled the towels off of her, exposing everything. I kept my eyes averted as he examined her, but couldn't help glance around when I heard her hiss of irritation.

"That wasn't medical procedure, you asshat!" Rose growled out. "If I catch you staring at my chest again, _Morgaly vikalyu, padla_!"

The way she said it; (_"I'll poke your fucking eyes out!"_) sounded so much like Viktoria that I had to do a double take and see that it was really Rose on that bed. The surgeon eyed Rose, and clearly did not speak Russian since he continued on his perusal while we waited for the nurse to finish prepping her arm and hand for surgery. However, he did understand the growl that rumbled out of my throat, as he stepped back and paled slightly. The nurse looked up at me with a raised eyebrow just as the doctor walked back into the room.

"The room is ready when you are, Dr. Dover." Dr. Olendzki.

"I'm not going in there alone with Benny." Rose said as she glared at the surgeon who looked ashamed.

"I will stay with you, Roza." I squeezed her hand gently as the doctor gave us both an odd look.

It had been a long day and even longer night, but I stayed true to my word, sitting by her bed and talking quietly to her as the surgery was finished. The anesthesia had worked very well in knocking her out, and she was deeply asleep by the time she was rolled back into her room. Her hand was warm in mine as I circled my thumb over the smooth skin. With everything that had happened since I woke up, I had almost forgotten about my plan to talk to Alberta about what had happened between Rose and I. But as I sat there, feeling just how much I cared about her, I knew that I couldn't leave her. For so long I had isolated myself, trying to find redemption for the mistakes I had made, but she made me feel alive again and like I had a real purpose. It was selfish and it was wrong, but I was captivated by her.

"I look like the Michelin Man, comrade." She groaned as she opened her good eye and stared at our hands.

"You look like you've been through hell and back." I chuckled as she tried to smile at me. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone with this many casts on at one time."

"Well, stick around." Rose joked in an ominous tone. "I usually make it a personal goal to break my own records."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "This is one that can stay unbroken."

The doctor - who had been checking Rose's vitals - walked out of the room, leaving us alone together.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as leaned toward her.

"Like ass." She wrinkled her nose and smelled her armpit. "I smell it too."

"You will be up and about in no time." I reassured her.

"Thank you for staying with me." She whispered as the nurse walked across the hall to find another roll of gauze.

"You wouldn't find me anywhere else, Roza," I said as I put my other hand on top of our intertwined ones.

* * *

As the next week and a half went by, I became even more amazed by her. Rose didn't complain even though she had to be in an extreme amount of pain. I visited her during our usual training times and even some nights when she would usually be running. I hate to admit that I missed our daily routine. It felt wrong to even walk inside the gym in the afternoon knowing that she wouldn't be there with her witty comments and bright smile. What surprised me even more is just how easy she was to talk to. She sat there and listened in fascination as I spoke about my home and family and she always seemed to ask the right questions as though she knew my family as well as I did. It made me realize just how much I had opened up to her. But still she remained guarded and mysterious with her own thoughts and feelings.

"I swear if you don't stop beeping I'm going to stick my foot cast up your mechanical ass." Rose hissed at the machine at her bedside as it beeped incessantly. "I'm not kidding."

The monitor kept beeping and I put my fist up against my mouth to keep from laughing as I stood on the other side of the wall. She had no clue that I was there and considering the fact that both the doctor and nurse were in the dining hall, I was glad that I had shown up just in case she had needed something.

"Fuck it," Rose groused loudly as I heard the sound of chains clinking.

Something crashed onto the tile floor and I rounded the corner to find Rose lying on the floor, her full body cast hindering her as she proceeded to body slam the monitor onto the floor. I made a mental note to tell Dr. Olendzki to lower the dosage of her medicine.

"Die bitch!" Rose growled as she wiggled around on the floor._ "Yeouch!"_

"What are you doing?" I growled at her as she grimaced and shook.

"Help," she gasped out. "It's shocking me."

While lifting her up my hand brushed against the live wires and I too got a jolt from the now pulverized machine, making my arms twitch uncontrollably as I set her carefully back on her bed and helped put her arms back in the pulley slings. I reached behind her to grab the pillow she dropped and could feel her shaking beneath me. It wasn't a small chuckle either it was a full on silent laugh. My worry for her increased ten fold but when I moved back to look at her she stopped me by burying her face into my arm pit.

"Any chance you could close your eyes and throw that pillow over your shoulder, comrade?" She asked as she giggled.

"Why?" I asked as I stared at the floor, wondering why she had made such a request.

"I seem to have escaped my cast." She whispered. "And I highly doubt you'd want to help me stuff these puppies back into their plaster cage."

Closing my eyes, I turned around and threw the pillow over my shoulder like she asked. The doctor had warned Rose that the medicine she was on would probably make her a little forgetful, but I seriously hoped that she would forget this particular incident. When I turned around, I saw that Rose had bitten the pillow and still held it in her mouth in an attempt to cover herself. I carefully helped her move it into place so that she could lean back and relax, without the risk of exposure. Even despite her injuries, she was still uncomprehendingly beautiful.

"Don't just stare at me." Rose said, pulling my attention to her face. "Sit down and talk."

"What would you like me to say?" I asked her curiously, seeing the dazed look in her eyes.

"Tell me something about your family." She shrugged as she closed her eyes.

I gave her question some thought, trying to dig through years of memories to find the right story. "When I was sixteen -and on holiday from St. Basil's – I snuck out of the house to go to a party with some of my old friends."

Rose had raised both her eyebrows and gave me a disbelieving look.

"I was young too once." I said mildly.

"Oh yes, Grandfather Time," she snorted, "because that was SO long ago."

I sent a mocking glare at her and she nodded for me to continue. "They had gotten four huge cases of imported American beer and we spent the rest of the night indulging ourselves in the foreign drink. By the time I walked back home, I could barely stand and was seeing two of everything. I moved silently through the shadows of the house, and crept to the back window I had left unlocked and slid the window pane up." I laughed softly at the memory of what came next and I looked at her beneath my lashes, "But that still wouldn't have mattered. _She_ was waiting for me in the kitchen, my dear grandmother, like a she-devil from the old tales."

Roza snorted under her breath, and muttered something I didn't catch. She looked fascinated by this point, and had an expectantly amused look on her face. Almost like she could guess what would happen next.

"She turned the light on, blinding me with the sudden brightness, and pointed at the chair she had pulled out for me." Rose chuckled and shook her head as I went on. "I had barely sat down and could only think of sleep, but she slapped me on the back of the head and placed a full bottle of vodka on the table. 'Drink with me, Dimka.' She ordered me. 'If you're going to be sneaking in and out of this house at all hours of the night, then you will drink with me when you return.'"

A muffled sound broke through the memory and I glanced down at Rose as she bit her lip trying to contain her laughter. "Oh, Yeva, you didn't!" Rose laughed and I tried to remember whether I had mentioned her by name.

I must have, as there wasn't a way for her to even begin to guess. "She made me sit there and match her shot for shot for the next two hours." I shook my head and laughed a little. "It did not taste as good coming up as it did going down."

Rose grimaced. "That shit tastes like rocket fuel. I don't even want to imagine how bad the upheaval would be."

I tried to control the shocked expression that crossed my face, but not enough for her not to notice.

"Or at least that's what I've heard!" She quickly backtracked.

Her eyes were struggling to keep themselves open, and I knew that the medication was still heavily influencing her. I debated using this opportunity to my advantage and getting some of the answers I desperately wanted. But that would be breaking her trust, and in the end not be worth it. I hoped she would someday feel the same feelings that were rapidly developing on my side, and trust me with the secrets I knew haunted her.

"Watch out for Lissa, comrade." She mumbled tiredly. "And don't look her in the eye."

* * *

It had taken me a few days to figure out what Rose had been talking about. But slowly, the pieces started falling into place. The first clue was the Princess's new defensive attitude. She seemed determined to stop any and all rumors that painted Rose in a bad light and at first, I was impressed with her loyalty to her friend. Then I saw just how she had accomplished that. Compulsion was strictly forbidden in any situation, but the Princess acted as though she didn't care about the rule as she didn't hesitate to compel anyone who stood against her. Her young friend, Miss Dashkov, acted like it was a fun game as she followed the Princess along and even gave her suggestions on how to use her gift to manipulate people.

Christian Ozera had been the only other student that the Princess didn't compel. But their relationship had become strained as he disagreed with the way she was handling things. He visited Rose daily and despite her protests even sat beside her and helped her eat her meals. It made me proud of Tasha's young nephew. The doctor had noticed this too and had asked him to escort her to her dorm when the time came for her to be released. I wanted to be the one to be there for her on that day, but the Dashkovs had planned a shopping trip with the Princess - to get dresses for the upcoming dance – and I could not let her go unprotected.

An hour later, I sat in the back seat of the van watching as we pulled out of the gates of the Academy. The Princess had once again used her gift to get her boyfriend to join us on the trip against his will. I feared for the young girl's state of mind. It seemed as though Rose had been the one to stabilize her. Without her around, Vasilisa had turned into someone that I didn't even recognize. And while her intentions were well meant, and the rumors about Rose had stopped, she would have to face the consequences when we returned. The guardian sitting beside had been talked into watching the Dashkov girl's dog and the little animal was putting up a fuss as the man holding him tried to keep himself from being bitten.

My eyes felt heavy and there was a weird taste in my mouth, but the last thing I had drank was a simple cup of coffee that Viktor had offered me as we were waiting for the girls to get ready. I leaned my head against the glass and tried to keep my eyes open. My movements felt sluggish and as the guardian next to me reached into his pocket, my defenses went up, but I was unable to move when he pulled the trigger on the dart gun. A flash of pain hit me as the tranquilizer embedded itself into my throat and then the world darkened around me.

**End Chapter Eight**

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**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know.**

**Please check out 'This Means War' it's a collaboration between Caden29 and myself. We've posted second chapter and it's turning out to be epic fun.**

**:: Peace, Love and Tequila ::**


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